St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1888-08-18
SOME BABY BIRDS.
A Great Nursery Constantly Ory-
ing for Food
Curious bundles of Fuss and Feathers-
Care Of the Old for the Young
Cunning Of the Mother
Snipe.

1t is in spring that our fields. hedges
md woods resOund with the most JOY
Gus notes from our feathered friends.
In the apple-trees among the blossoms
the robins hold festival; in the old
dead tree over the way we may per-
haps find a nest of bluebirds; in the
vines around our cottage door a spar
row chirps about her young. and in an
old, hollow-topped clothes-pole we may
hear faint peeps and see little wren
disappear within. Even the chimneys
are converted into nurseries for the
swallows. while the hedges. .cedars and
other retreats all form shelters for
baby birds.
What cry for food this great nur-
.sery sets up! The slightest noise near
the nest, and open mouths are held
up. always hungry. and seemingly
never satisfied. Fathers and mothers
work SO hard that they scarcely have
time to eat. The first worms and
snails that come out after their long
winter sleep are captured for these ba-
bies. and in such numbers that it is a
wonder that any are left to enjoy the
summer days. ur kf
OF al. our familiar birds. the little
owls are, perhaps. the most curious.
They are mere bundles Of fuss and
feathers, and if we are fortunate
enough to find the nest, the sight
proves an interesting one. The old
tree, grim and fOrsaken, except per-
haps by clinging vines and moss, gives
little token of the family within; but
we draw near the dark hole that once
bore a sturdy limb. scratch upon the
bark, and presto! four queer heads,
with sharp black eyes. pop into view,
exactly IS if We had touched spring
only to fall back as quickly when they
fi3d out their mistake.
The old birds mate as early as Feb
ruary. and in May the nursery is be-
gun. Sometimes, as we have seen, it
is in a hollow tree or in q crevice in
the rock; again we have found the
nest on a large bough high in air.
When in this position. the home is
formed of large dried sticks; crooked
twigs are laid for the foundation, and
the interior is lined with soft grasses
and sometimes feathers, 80 that the
entire nest is perhaps three feet across.
Soon after its completion, four, and
sometimes six eggs will be found, and
then the vigilance of both parents is
necessary, as it is the only brood OF the
season. When the mother bird be-
comes tired, her mate takes her place
and guards the home while she trav-
els of to rob some neighboring farm
yard Of a stray duck or chicken. The
young Dc not leave their home until
they are fully feathered. and they are
fed on rats, mice, rabbits and small
birds. t.t
In April some OF our readers must
have found upon the ground. on marshy
shores by some river or creek. . plain
nest formed Of few withered leaves
and branches carelessly placed. rs If
the mother were = poor housekeeper.
At this time it perhaps contained five
or six clay-colored eggs spotted with
brown and purple. Visiting it little
later. you would find the birds out
the strangest little creatures imagin-
able. They lie cuddled together, a
mass Of brownish-white down. When
disturbed they start up and topple over,
and appear to be all legs and bills. A
great brown stripe runs down the
back: another passes through the eye
and under il, while others under the
delicate wings give these baby wood
cock the appearance OF woolly zebras.
The legs and long bill are purple, and
certainly these are the prettiest of all
the bird babies We have seen. When
two weeks old they utter a feeble peep,
and shortly leave the nest and run
around at night. like the owls.
The smallest Of the bird babies are
the humming birds. . The largest was
the epiornis. now extinct. One of it's
eggs was equal in size to twelve thou
sand humEing-bird's eggs.
The nest of the humming bird is often
found in pear or apple trees and is a
beautiful structure. The exterior il
made up of small pieces of the dark
and gray lichens which the mother
finds upon trees and rocks. These ara
placed all about the neSoand glued to-
gether by some. secretions from her
mouth. Almost always she selects
pieces for the outer covering that will
match In color the surrounding
branches, so that the nest is really pro-
tected by its color. In the interior
she places layers of the wings of flying
seeds. and on these the downy silk OF
the mullen, with delicate bits Of jern.