Page:Bird-lore Vol 08.djvu/116

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86 Bird -Lore Her reserved nature again revolted against such gross familiarity (I was within six feet of her), and she flew, or rather tumbled and flopped, off through the bushes as if I had used other ammunition than light-rays in my shooting. Soon she stopped, and for some time gave spasmodic evidence of being mortally wounded. Set my camera and wait as long as I would, she could not again be induced to return to her nest, though the afternoon had begun to wane when I gave up the attempt. She had been all the time within a short distance, and when I came to remove the camera she glided to a half- fallen sapling beneath the brush, resting there motionless in her characteristic position parallel to the stem. A ten-second exposure got the accompanying picture. NEWLY HATCHED WHIP-POOR-WILL It was May 27 before we again visited the nest, and during this interval Mrs. Whip-poor-will, with the aid of Mother Nature, had wrought radical changes. One of the large oval eggs had been transformed into a fuzzy little chick; the other egg, also, was chipped. On our approach the old bird again put on the air of being hurt, and tried to lead us from the precious young, but, seeing that all her efforts availed nothi.ng, she came back and perched upon her favorite limb some six or seven feet away. The presence of the chick seemed to have removed much of her fear, for she sat there chucking angrily, and very little difficulty was experienced in photograph- ing her. And the chick, — what a tiny ball of buff down he was! From his appearance and the fact that the other egg was about to hatch, it was safe to say that he was not over a day or two old, and yet he showed more temper and pluck than many older birds. Propped up on his weak little