Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-21
BESET WITH DANGER
LIVES OF YOUNG BIRDS THREAT
ENED BY MANY PERILS.
A Hundred Enemies More Pitiless
Than Any Storm Ever Ready to
Destroy Nestlings.

Written for The Star.
So many dangers beset young birds be-
tween the time they are Matched and the
time when they are able to take care of
themselves 1t is wonder that so many
OF them reach maturity. That any Of them
do so Is probably due to the fact that this
period of helplessness is comparatively
short, averaging perhaps three weeks with
the majority OF our perching birds. am
well aware that in the case of the larger
birds this period Is often extended, and
that even In the case OF the smaller ones
the old birds continue to coddle the young
sters long after the latter could shift for
themselves If necessary. Young crows, for
instance sponge on their parents for weeks
after they can fly and after they are well
able to get their own living.
During the period of incubation the nest
is comparatively safe; as a rule it is incon-
splcuous, often carefully hidden, and the
sitting bird is usually silent. There is sell
dom anything to guide an enemy 10 the
sacred spot OF course there Is a great
danger from storms, for the wind and rain
often beat SO fiercely to shake down the
nests and eggs. But such storms are
equally dangerous when there are young
birds IN the nests. for such helpless little
beings thrown out to the ground, possibly
in heavy rain, are as perishable as eggs,
and 1 have known young birds to perish
from a heavy rain where eggs would prob
ably have been safe. j once knew an
tire family of phoebes to succumb to the
water which ran into their nest from the
rock against which 1t was built. and have
seen nesting song sparrows red-wtnged
backbirds and others drowned by the flood
ing of the meadows or swamps In which
their homes had been made.
But soon the tender chicks break
through the shells of the eggs 1t Is diff
a1,,1 It'd hn ~af1tG n
keep their secret from hundred enemies
more pitiless than any storm, and whose
eyes, ears and noses are every ready to de-
tect the presence of such dainty and avail
able morsels as nesting birds. The feeding
of the little ones and the cleaning of the
nest uecessitates scores Of visits daily on
the part of the old birds, and quietly as
the work is usually done SO much passing
back and forth to a given point is very apt
to attract undesirable attention. Then. the
young birds themselves seem very indis
Greet, and frequently make so much ado
when their parents arrive with food that
they seem to invite every enemy within
sight or hearing.
Nests Subject to Greatest Danger.
The young birds which build on the
ground are perhaps the ones which are SUBJ
ject to the greatest numbers of dangers
Fortunate it is for them that they know
no evil-that their Unborn fear is latent and
does not develop until such time as 1t shall
profit them to be afraid until they are
able to fly and thus escape the dangers
they are afraid of Were it not so, what
miserable little creatures they would be
during the long days they remained in the
nest. They would know that at any mo-
ment the head of a snake might appear
over the wall of their home, and that one
or more OF them would then disappear into
the dark Shiny throat. Every murmur of
the wind IN the grass would set them a
tremble with fear that weasel, a skunk or
a cat was approaching to devour them one
by one; and whenever they heard the voice
of red squirrel or chpmunk they would
crouch lower, well knowing that IL the
sharp eyes OF one of these agile creatures
caught a glimpse OF them the home of
their parents would know them no more.
Even at night they would SILVER beneath
their mothers warm body every time they
heard the hooting Of an owl, and fancy
every rustling leaf and every swapping twig.
the footstep of a fox or a raccoon. OF
course, these enemies are none the less real
because the young birds know nothing of
them. but 1t is some consolation to those
of us who love the birds to think that such
OF these hapless youngsters as are doomed
to become the prey of their enemies are
usually in complete ignorance OF their dan
ger until they are snatched away to sudden
death.
Sr axes probably account for a great many
young birds, not only on the ground, but
In the bushes and trees for many snakes
are excellent climbers. l once startled
black snake as he about to swallow a
young song sparrow, which he had crushed
OFT until II was nearly twice its natural
length, anG which he had covered all over
with slime was attracted to the scene by
the parent birds. which were In state of
great excitement. On another occasion /
saw twenty-seven inch milk snake with
fully hedged young catbird in its mouth
The victim had been taken from a nest
buiF in bush several feet from the
ground. The snake did not finish his meal.
White-Footed Mice Are Destroyers.
White-footed mice In all probability de-
stroy young birds occasionally. since they
are fond Of animal food, and could hardly,
/ think, resist the temptation to eat newly
Matched birds of the smaller species which
nest on the ground, or even In the bushes
for that matter, since these mice can climb
almost as we'll as squirrels. -
Personally, l have never seen gray
squirrel Inture a birds nest, but I think
there Is enough good evidence Forthcoming
ing both eggs ard nestlings. Red squirrels
and ehipmunks have been caught in the act
so often that they may be regarded as
hahitual criminals. The former, being tree
climbers, are much more destructive than
the latter, which live chiefly on the ground
Both species have such wonderfully sharp
eyes that nest must be we'll hidden to
escape their notice
In proportion to their numbers. however
1t Is doubtful If squirrels do anywhere near
the damage which is wrought by the do
nestle cat. The latter Is larger and re-
quires much more food and II is also more
apt to Kill merely for sport. While not so
agile climber as the red squirrel, IL climbs