. Wild nature's ways . h a decayingash-tree, watching an industrious wryneck feedher family of lusty appetited chicks scatteredamongst the lower, and yet living, branches, anold woodpecker of the above species arrived witha young one amongst the upper dead behaviour was both curious and old bird jerked her way up one side of abranch, hammering and searching, whilst theyoung one kept parallel on the other, with anever-ready mouth held round the side to receiveany lurking trifle that its parent might secure. The nightingale is justly the greatest favouriteof all the f
. Wild nature's ways . h a decayingash-tree, watching an industrious wryneck feedher family of lusty appetited chicks scatteredamongst the lower, and yet living, branches, anold woodpecker of the above species arrived witha young one amongst the upper dead behaviour was both curious and old bird jerked her way up one side of abranch, hammering and searching, whilst theyoung one kept parallel on the other, with anever-ready mouth held round the side to receiveany lurking trifle that its parent might secure. The nightingale is justly the greatest favouriteof all the feathered vocalists that throng thegrove. He sings as much by day as he does bynight, although comparatively few people seemto be aware of the fact, and makes a model hus-band, dropping the frivolities of song, and helpinghis wife with a will to feed the chicks as soon asthey are hatched. Towards midnight on the seventh day of May,1902, we had a thick white fog in CaterhamValley (where I live), yet, in spite of that de-. NIGHTINGALE. BIRDS OF WOODLAND AND HEDGEROW. i8i pressing circumstance, the nightingales weresinging as bhthely as if they had been exercisingtheir marvellous vocal powers under the mostcheerful conditions. The power of vision in birds is very can make far more use of even the rays ofa noontide sun than is generally supposed. Oneday I found a tawny owl sitting on two eggs inan old carrion crows nest which had been builtin a small ivy-encumbered ash-tree growing ona steep hillside. I opened the place out, so asto obtain a good view of the nest and its contentsfrom an advantageous point on the precipitousbank above, and left. Next day the sun shonebrilliantly, and, fondly imagining that I hadnothing to do but go and photograph the owlsitting with her eyes closed, I sallied forth. Tomy surprise, the bird took her departure directlyI commenced operations. Determined to give hera fair trial, however, I fixed up the camera,focussed the nest, put a plate
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, books, booksubjectnaturalhistory
