. The oist . sted Flycatcher. Crow. Common. Richard F. Miller. Nine Unusual and the Spring of one of myPet Woodcocks could not be I entered the brushy pas-ture the male was fiushed but I wasevidently not looking in the properplace for the cunning female. I wasclimbing through the fence at the con-clusion of my fifth unsuccessful at-tempt at locating her only to perceivethe bead-like eyes peering through amass of brittle oak leaves, away fromthe shelter or portection of any hazel,alder or sumach. The situation inwhich she was squatting was one th
. The oist . sted Flycatcher. Crow. Common. Richard F. Miller. Nine Unusual and the Spring of one of myPet Woodcocks could not be I entered the brushy pas-ture the male was fiushed but I wasevidently not looking in the properplace for the cunning female. I wasclimbing through the fence at the con-clusion of my fifth unsuccessful at-tempt at locating her only to perceivethe bead-like eyes peering through amass of brittle oak leaves, away fromthe shelter or portection of any hazel,alder or sumach. The situation inwhich she was squatting was one thatmight be considered typical as a nest-ing site for Whip-poor-will. No nestwas in evidence, not even the custom-ary hollow in the soft soil. Could shebe sheltering four little fellows soearly in the spring? She seemed al-most glued to the spot and flushedonly after being touched. There werefour very dark shaded eggs lyingloosely on the uneven leaves withoutany semblance of the arrangement so THB OOLOQIST 218. o 2^ ort si w .i:i •:; o ^ •« 214 THE OOLOQIST characteristic with our shore birds. Carefully surveying the cover with-in a radius of fifteen feet I presentlydiscovered the original nesting site upthe hill a few yards from where theeggs now lay. The downy feathersand one-half of the hollow plainlyshowed where the motherly breasthad rested when incubation first be-gan. During recent heavy rains a portionof the slops had been washed away andwith it the lower rim of the nest, al-lowing the four eggs to roll from theiroriginal resting place down the leafyincline. Regardless of this disturb-ance the eggs were intact and themother had succeeded in gatheringthem together and successfully cov-ering all four. I stooped, gathered some soft, dampsoil, reshaped the nest and coveredthe area with dead grasses and leaves,then I replaced the four eggs withpoints together. In ten minutes theparent was incubating her clutch inthe re-made nest .and as I bent overher chunked form I coul
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