. Nature sketches in temperate America, a series of sketches and a popular account of insects, birds, and plants, treated from some aspects of their evolution and ecological relations . ut let us see whatthis difference in temperature reallyamounts to. I At ten in the morning, beside the shaded door of the house, the thermom-eter registered eighty-three degrees, butsee how rapidly the mercury ascends as the thermometer ischanged. In the course of a number of minutes the mercuryruns up to one hundred and sixteen degrees when the instru-ment is placed on the ground. Then, fixing the instrument i
. Nature sketches in temperate America, a series of sketches and a popular account of insects, birds, and plants, treated from some aspects of their evolution and ecological relations . ut let us see whatthis difference in temperature reallyamounts to. I At ten in the morning, beside the shaded door of the house, the thermom-eter registered eighty-three degrees, butsee how rapidly the mercury ascends as the thermometer ischanged. In the course of a number of minutes the mercuryruns up to one hundred and sixteen degrees when the instru-ment is placed on the ground. Then, fixing the instrument inmid-air so that the air circulates about -it in the sunlight, itsoon drops to one hundred and three degrees are the actual varied conditions that caused the indigobird to seek cover. How much this change of temperature atdifferent points affects the animal inhabitants I have notedon every hand. ANIMAL BEHAVIOR, WITH EXAMPLES 261 The quail, which are ordinarily so fond of Ihe open fields,now seek the border of the woods, where I have startled themin my walks afield. But here they fly through the woods tothe marginal underbrush, like the ruffed grouse, for better. Indigo Bird on her riest in dogwood hush. protection from the heat. In the orchard the waxwing fledg-lings, in order to keep from perishing, are. sitting bolt uprightfar apart, like little wooden images on the edge of their young wood pewees in the beeches have similarly separatedto take positions on opposite margins of their nest, to avoid asmuch as possible, not only the atmospheric heat, but thatemanating from their own bodies as well. 262 NATURE SKETCHES IN TEMPERATE AMERICA Again, in an apple tree, I have just witnessed the motherrobin standing over her nest brooding the tiny newly hatchedyoung. The nest is so situated on an outstretched bough thatit is In full exposure to the direct rays of the sun. Unless thiswise precaution of brooding were taken by the parent birds,the young would und
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