. Nestlings of forest and marsh . ltiS4 SANDPIPERS, QUAIL, AND KILDEER to get near her. Much more shy than theplover, she took to flight while the lattersat on a fence-post and called little family stayed in the neighbor-hood several weeks, and were to be seennearly every day. The efforts of the littleones to learn to fly were comical. At firstthe wings were lifted in running, and whenthey were two weeks old they could notrise from the ground more than half aninch, but scudded along as do little seemed to pick up their own foodfrom the very first, and I never saw them
. Nestlings of forest and marsh . ltiS4 SANDPIPERS, QUAIL, AND KILDEER to get near her. Much more shy than theplover, she took to flight while the lattersat on a fence-post and called little family stayed in the neighbor-hood several weeks, and were to be seennearly every day. The efforts of the littleones to learn to fly were comical. At firstthe wings were lifted in running, and whenthey were two weeks old they could notrise from the ground more than half aninch, but scudded along as do little seemed to pick up their own foodfrom the very first, and I never saw themother feed them. Long before the sunhad dried the dew, they scurried over thewet stubble, and later, when other birdbabies were abed, they were still runningabout. When they were three weeks old, I againcaught one to photograph, having madeseveral failures in the mean time. Thischase was even more lively than the firsthad been, and the mother showed greaterdistress, lying on the ground thirty feetiS5 NESTLINGS OF FOREST AND MARSH. in front of me, fluttering with apparently-broken wings, and almost rolling over andover to attract my attention, while the father hoveredover her time,while I caughtone, the restrushed to cover,and all effortsto capture themfailed. Aftermuch tribula-tion we at lastinduced the cap-tive to remain within focus long enough foran instantaneous. Their story, like so many others concern-ing young birds, ends in a tragedy. Oneby one they were missing. Was a fer-ret or a marsh-rat or a hungry owl the mur-derer? Only an Ernest Seton-Thompsoncan tell. Were the little ones stolen fromunder their mother at night, or lost in theiS6 Kildeer startled and about to run SANDPIPERS, QUAIL, AND KILDEER tall grass during the day ? Opinion wasdivided on this point, and no proof wasever obtained as to the cause of their dis-appearance. They were only one of themany bird families decimated by cruelprowlers. Often and* often I have wonderedthat ever any nestling cam
Size: 1665px × 1500px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1902
