. Bird-life; a guide to the study of our common birds . ts over the meadows; the sedate, dignified Wood-cock tries to express his emotions by means of spiral evo-lutions which carry him far above his usual haunts; theNight-Hawk dives earthward with needless recklessness ;in fact, birds seem inspired by the joy of the season, andall the brightness of a May morning is reflected in theirvoices and actions. Mating over, there follow the marvels of nest-build-ing with its combined evidences of instinct and intelli-gence. In due time the young appear, and the bird, nowa parent, abandons the gay habi
. Bird-life; a guide to the study of our common birds . ts over the meadows; the sedate, dignified Wood-cock tries to express his emotions by means of spiral evo-lutions which carry him far above his usual haunts; theNight-Hawk dives earthward with needless recklessness ;in fact, birds seem inspired by the joy of the season, andall the brightness of a May morning is reflected in theirvoices and actions. Mating over, there follow the marvels of nest-build-ing with its combined evidences of instinct and intelli-gence. In due time the young appear, and the bird, nowa parent, abandons the gay habits of the suitor, and de-votes every waking moment to the care of its young. Time of Westing.—With most birds the nesting seasonis periodic and annual. With migratory birds it coin-cides with the season of the year when their summerhomes are habitable. But we might suppose that the * Read In Nesting Time, Little Brothers of the Air, and otherworks by Olive Thorne Miller. A-Birding on a Broncho, by FlorenceA. Merriam (Houghton, Mifflin & Co.). 64. Plate XXI. Page 111. BAPKED OWL. Length, 20-00 inches. Upper parts blackish brown and white; underparts white and blackish brown; eyes black. MATING. 65 permanent residents of the tropics, where seasonal changesare less marked, could nest at- any time. Nevertheless,the breeding season in the tropics is as well defined as itis in more northern regions, and occurs with the returnof summer, or the season of rains. It is therefore at atime of the year when food is most abundant. There is an obvious necessity for this regularity. Oldbirds can wander over large areas in search of food, butthe young of many species must be fed in the nest, andtheir food supply should be both exhaustless and con-venient of access. Among our birds, the Hawks and Owls, whose youngare fed on animal food, are the first birds to nest, whilethose which feed their young on fruit or insects waituntil later in the year. Mating.—Birds are ardent lovers. In their eff
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