. Bird-lore . sienna and madderbrown, and an occasional bit of lilac. I found two so sparsely and faintly markedthat as a distance of a few feet they looked like pure white eggs. The nest andits contents are fine e.\ami)les of ])rotective coloration, and it takes a sharp pairof eyes to find them. The nesting season begins in early May, and lasts till lateJuly, and undoubtedly two br()()(l> are reared by some of the birds. The femaleis a very close sitter, and the colors that show when she is on the nest—brownand chestnut—blend perfectlv with the surroundings. On one or two occasionsI have f
. Bird-lore . sienna and madderbrown, and an occasional bit of lilac. I found two so sparsely and faintly markedthat as a distance of a few feet they looked like pure white eggs. The nest andits contents are fine e.\ami)les of ])rotective coloration, and it takes a sharp pairof eyes to find them. The nesting season begins in early May, and lasts till lateJuly, and undoubtedly two br()()(l> are reared by some of the birds. The femaleis a very close sitter, and the colors that show when she is on the nest—brownand chestnut—blend perfectlv with the surroundings. On one or two occasionsI have found the male on the egg>, but lie did not sit .so close as llii- female. Whenthe nest is discovered, ihe owners become greatlv ; they seldom a])proachclose to the intruder, but flutter about at a safe , calling clic-iciitk, clie-uhik, chc-wiuik, till the ]ihue resounds with the laiket, and one is glad to getaway fr(<m the viiinit\. Imubalion lakes from twelve to thirteen days. (158). I, 2, 3, 4. Tame Female Towhee. 5, 6. Towhee Poses. 7, 8. Nest and Eggs of Tow- hee. 9. Towhees, six days old in nest. 10. Towhee about seventeen days old Photographed by Christina J. Heil (159) i6o Bird- Lore The young birds leave the nest when they are nine or ten days old. At thisage the upper parts are a mottled brown; the under parts are whitish, streakedwith dark brown or black, and there is a faint chestnut wash on the sides. Theysoon change this dull dress, however, for the handsome, parti-colored plumageof the adult birds. The song—a simple melody—is usually whistled when the bird is perchedten or a dozen feet from the ground. Now and then, I hear it from the top of thetallest oak or elm in my neighborhood, and, on two occasions during the pastseason, I heard it when the bird was on the ground. Ordinarily, the song consistsof tw^o parts—the first composed of two notes and the second of a trill—butsometimes the first part consists of three notes, and at t
Size: 1341px × 1863px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirdsperiodicals
