. The home life of wild birds; a new method of the study and photography of birds. Birds; Photography of birds. Care of Yount;' and Nest. 10 = food they would stealthily enter the tree on the farther side and after a few moments fly over the pond and drop what looked like a small white marble in the water below. I his effected, they would veer and fly off to the feeding ground. The same action was repeated by birds from other nests. Removing the excreta piecemeal and dropping it at a safe distance, is the common instinctive method not only of insuring the sanitary condition of the nest itself,
. The home life of wild birds; a new method of the study and photography of birds. Birds; Photography of birds. Care of Yount;' and Nest. 10 = food they would stealthily enter the tree on the farther side and after a few moments fly over the pond and drop what looked like a small white marble in the water below. I his effected, they would veer and fly off to the feeding ground. The same action was repeated by birds from other nests. Removing the excreta piecemeal and dropping it at a safe distance, is the common instinctive method not only of insuring the sanitary condition of the nest itself, but what is even more important, of keeping the grass and leaves below free from an}' sign which might be- tray them to an enemy. Many other birds, of which 1 can now certify the Robin, Catbird, Cedar Waxwing, Red-eyed Vireo, Kingbird, Redwing Blackbird, Brown Thrush, and Chestnut-sided Warbler, devour a part and often the major part of the excreta at the nest. This is a very common practice with the Warbler, Robin, Waxwing, and Vireo, but was onlv casually observed in Catbirds and Brown Thrushes. The Robin has undoubtedly been seen by many in the character- istic pose shown in a number of the photographs standing on the rim of the nest with the head erect, or in- clined as if doting on her young ones and thinking what fine children they were, whereas this attitude is really one of sanitarv ins])ection. When an old bird of any of the species mentioned above has fed one of the brood, its duty is but half done; it pauses, bends over, and keenly scrutinizes each 3-oung bird in turn and every part of the nest. Shortly after being fed, the nestling becomes very uneasy, and raises its body as if to drop the sac over the edge of the nest. The old bird follows every movement, snaps up the package as it leaves the body, and either swallows it iminediately or carries it ofT. When seen flying from the nest with head depressed, the Robin is usuallv engaged in errands of this kind. The Rob
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Photo credit: © Central Historic Books / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1901
