. Wild nature's ways . ^ had left their home in ahollow tree. In little scattered woods, high up amongstthe ^^elsll mountains, also in the heart of theCumberland and Westmoreland Fells, a greatmany pairs of redstarts may be found utilise small holes in trees, rocks, and olddry walls, as a rule ; but one day, I was surprisedto find a nest in a little corner on a grassy bankwhere a meadow pipit might have built. Placing the stick, figured in our illustrations BIRDS OF WOODLAND AND HEDGEROW. 165 on page 167, in the ground hard by for the birdsto ahght upon when they brought food for
. Wild nature's ways . ^ had left their home in ahollow tree. In little scattered woods, high up amongstthe ^^elsll mountains, also in the heart of theCumberland and Westmoreland Fells, a greatmany pairs of redstarts may be found utilise small holes in trees, rocks, and olddry walls, as a rule ; but one day, I was surprisedto find a nest in a little corner on a grassy bankwhere a meadow pipit might have built. Placing the stick, figured in our illustrations BIRDS OF WOODLAND AND HEDGEROW. 165 on page 167, in the ground hard by for the birdsto ahght upon when they brought food for theirchicks, I pitched my hiding tent close at hand, andcovering it with colts-foot leaves, left it for a dayor two, in order that the redstarts might getthoroughly inured to its intrusive presence beforeI started my photographic operations. It is an interesting problem as to how farwild birds credit each others fears and alarmswithout some kind of support being lent by theevidence of their own senses. Experience has. YOUNG JACKDAWS. i66 WILD NATURES WAYS. led me to believe that they do so to no greatextent. I waited my opportunity to enter the placeof concealment whilst both the male and femaleredstarts were away, collecting food ; but, un-luckily, the latter returned more quickly than Ihad anticipated, and espied me crawling beneaththe colts-foot leaves and canvas. She straight-way swallowed the small green caterpillars sheheld in her bill, and taking up her station in anash-tree close by, rattled out her alarm cry withas much earnestness and persistency as if I hadbeen a marauding cat. Presently her mate cameupon the scene, and in silence took up a positionbeside her. She told him a dreadful tale of thedangers of approaching their nest, but in theabsence of anything either to see or hear, heevidently did not believe a word of the alarmingnews, and flew straight do\ to my stick, andthence to deliver the wriggling throng he heldbetween his mandibles to the hungry youngstersin
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, books, booksubjectnaturalhistory
