blackish breasts were changed to gray. It was a cool day, and I set the basket where the sun would shine on the birds. They fluffed their feathers as if they enjoyed the warmth. Once in a while one tried to fly, but he always fluttered to the ground and had to be brought back. The mother tried her wings again and again. She got so she could fly a little farther at every attempt, before she went to the ground. At about five o'clock she flew far enough to get out of sight.
All the next day I kept the peach basket with these swifts in it outdoors, hoping the mother would return and feed them. But she did not return.
On the following day these birds began to look feeble. I went to the telephone and called up a gentleman[1] who is an authority on birds, and asked him what I should do. He said the main thing was to keep the birds evenly warm; that more young birds die from chill than from hunger. To revive them he said I should put a few drops of whiskey in a glass of water and give them each a few drops; then I should try to get them some gnats, or a grub from the garden, mince it well, and feed it to them. Flies, he said, had not much nourishment in them.
On returning I found that two of the little birds had died. I determined to try hard to save the remaining one. It was impossible to get whiskey
- ↑ Dr Francis H. Herrick, author of "The Home Life of Wild Birds."
