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ered her dainty morsel. Then, by placing the young bird on the forefinger and holding it in the bushes, we succeeded in persuading the mother to feed her young several times. To find out how mtlch courage she would develop, my wit: held the young bird on lter hand several yards from the bushes and en! tirer clear of them. When the old bird came back, the first time her heart failed Her and she hovered about us and then flew back to the elm. As we remained quietly, though there were many passing along the walk, she fluttered abottt and finally fed her young. This was repeated several times, usually with considerablescolding. Though we could not induce her to light on the hand, lack or time prevented us irom carry» ing our trials any further. The fearlessv ness of the bird was surprising to us, never before having had such confidence shown us by a parent bird. We feltconfident that with patient el'Iort the mother would have lighted on our hands and fed her olrspring, The amount of courage she did show, however, is worthy of note.~SAMubL C. PALMER, Swnrtlnnrre, Pa.
Mockingbitds in New Jersey
In the middle of the month of November. rooa, l saw a Mockingbird in the garden of a neighbor, who told me that it had been around for several days and had been noticed by other neighbors. I watched him for some time and might have let the inci- dent pass had I not been told by Mr. Kim— ball C. Atwood, of Oradel, N. J., that he saw a Mocking-bird feeding on the berries or a vine overhanging his piazza. early in January, toes. The bird appeared cold and hungry. He ptrt out a squirrel’s cage with food; the bird entered and was caught. He was transferred to a Mocking-bird cage and given tempting food, but became very rest- less; he evidently had not been reared in confinement. A few weeks later, while Mr. Atwood was in Florida, and hearing the songs of the free Mockers, the captive bird died. The questionatises, Was thisthe same Mockingbird I saw five miles farther west a few weeks helore, or was it one of a nest that had been reared here? A pair of Mock-
Bird - Lore
ingbirds bred near here, where the Home of Incurables now stands, some twenty years ago, but I heard nothing of them after that summer.—HENRY HALES, Ridgelwnad, N. 7.
A Thieving Chebec
On June 2, I found, in a srnallmapleaap- ling by the side of a brook, a Yellow Warbler‘s nest containing four eggs. The mother—bird did not seem to object to my looking into her nest, but when I had with— drawn a short distance she began to chirp angrily. Turning around, I saw the cattse of her trouble. A Chebec, or Least Flycatcher, flew to the side of the nest, and hovering on its wings began to pluck out some of the building material.
The poor Yellow Warbler, that had spent so much time and pains upon her way home, succeeded in driving him away, but not until he had stolen nearly all he could
' carry in his bill.
It seems very probable to me that the Chebec was building somewhere a nest of its own and so counted itself very fortunate (until it was driven away by the Yellow Warbler) in finding so much easily pro- cured material.—Aoolso.~: WILLIAMSON.
Two Years [or an Oriole's Nest
For many years the Baltimore Orioles have nested in the elms about our house. Whether it is the same pair each year or not I cannot say, but I am inclined to think it is.
Two years ago they did not build near us as usual, so I was glad to find them at work in I903, on a nest quite near the house. My pleasure, however, was short-lived, as the nest was deserted betore’it was halt completed, and the birds disappeared from the neighborhood. About the middle of May, I904, while looking at this unfinished nest, I saw a female Oriole fly into it and pick at it here and there, while her bril- liantly colored mate flew down close to her and acted as though he wanted to help: but I have never yet seen a male Oriole working on a nest.—perhaps Madam objects. Since that time she has worked steadily, and now (May 23) the nest looks nearly finished.— FuANK T. Auras. Canandaigua, N. T.
