. Nestlings of forest and marsh . postand his new anxiety with regard to my visit,that the first little one was hatched. Foralmost the first time he scolded me, becausenow there was something so beautiful andwonderful in that tiny nest, he was sure Iwould want it for my own. And trulythere was something beautiful and wonder-ful, though only infinitesimal bits of nakedbirdlings. Every part of the little bodies wasperfect in proportion; even the small headswere round and pretty, at least to one wholoves bird-babies. They were the smallestnestlings I have seen except those of thehumming-bird. At
. Nestlings of forest and marsh . postand his new anxiety with regard to my visit,that the first little one was hatched. Foralmost the first time he scolded me, becausenow there was something so beautiful andwonderful in that tiny nest, he was sure Iwould want it for my own. And trulythere was something beautiful and wonder-ful, though only infinitesimal bits of nakedbirdlings. Every part of the little bodies wasperfect in proportion; even the small headswere round and pretty, at least to one wholoves bird-babies. They were the smallestnestlings I have seen except those of thehumming-bird. At the end of a week they had pin featherson wings and tail and down on head andback. In another week the feathers werefairly out, and the wee birds were the prettiestthings in the wood. They climbed up onthe edge of the nest and looked out into the254 YELLOW WARBLER great green forest world with innocent babyeyes, not a whit afraid of the danger thatlurked in every bush. I feared for them,because I knew that those blackberry vines. Wee yellow warbler nestlings , were the haunt of snakes which had destroyedmore than one brood I had been parents feared also, and came busilywith food as if to coax them to be contentedat home until their wings were stronger. At length one day, not quite three weeksfrom the time they first broke the prettyshells, I was startled to see the mother birdfly out to meet me and fall fluttering to theground. I stooped to follow and pick herup, but she fluttered into weeds across theroad. Sure that she was wounded, I again255 NESTLINGS OF FOREST AND MARSH tried to catch her, but after having led metwenty feet from the nest, she flew up intothe tree as well as ever. This is the only-time I have seen a warbler try the trickpractised by some of the larger birds, and Icould scarcely believe my eyes. Even thenI was at a loss to know why, because shehad made so little protest on my other visitsto her nursery. But when I reached thenest, with a flutter
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1902
