THE CONDOR VOL. IX look, and then out he would come with words of praise and away they would fly together. I had a splendid arrangement to watch the builders at close quarters. I could go in the tank-house and close the door and then in the darkness I could look thru a crack in the box, and with nay eyes less than a foot away, could watch every movement the birds nmde. While the mother was sitting on the eggs, she became very tame and we often reached in and stroked her feathers. When the young birds came, I watched the mother come to feed and brood her young. The father was the ever-watchful admirer, but the mother was all buM- ne?s and paid no attention to him except to knock him out of the way when he was too devoted. The mother always brought in the food, and the father kept staying ? away more and more until the ? young birds were grown. One day ?vhile I was watching, I the mother was feeding the young- - sters on maggots almost entirely. She would be gone quite a while,
but each time would return with a
large mouthful which she fed to '-'?-- ?? the young. Occasionally one of the young failed to get all of them and if one dropped, the mother ?-?- ? I picked it up and ate it herself. One of the eggs was addled and did not hatch. but the mother was ? very fond of it. She would look ?'? at it almost every time she returned _. aud would turn it over and then .-..? ' hover it a few moments as if she '-?-2. ? were sure it contained a baby bird. The nest was lined with horse- - - '? hair and once when the mother ?'- fed one of the chicks, the food '? caught and the little bird swal- lowed the hair too, but both ends WESTERN BLUEBIRD ABOUT TO ENTER HOLE IN stuck out of his mouth. He kept SIDE Ol ?' TANK-HOUSE, ?'ITH FOOD FOR YOUNG shaking his head, but could not get rid of it. I waited to see if the mother would assist him, but she didn't seem to notice his trouble, .so I had to reach in and dislodge the hair. Otherwise I am afraid it would have fared hard with the chick. These bluebirds had five young in their first brood. When the first youngsters left the nest, the father became more attentive and helped care for the little ones that were just starting out in the world. They all stayed about the yard till the young knew how to hunt for themselves. Finally three of them disap- peared; I suppose they went off with other bluebirds, and two of the young still stayed with us. The parents themselves seemed to disappear for a few days and I
