LEAVING HOME
Photographed by W. R. Boulton, Jr.
When the young flew from the nest, I felt as though I had lost a family. My grief was not such that I could not capture them, however, and after counting noses, I found that one was missing. I climbed up and there I found ‘runtie’ at the bottom of the nest, pitifully squeaking at being left alone. I took out the bottom and extracted him. Finally, after half an hour or more of posing, I got several good pictures of the babies on a dead branch. When I opened the nest-log to clean it, I found a little block of grasses about three inches in diameter and one inch high. It fairly glistened with shed feather-sheaths. In the bottom were six or seven bugs, of the species mentioned before, that had evidently escaped the birds. Exactly two months after the first egg was laid, the second nest of the same pair was nearing completion in another of my boxes. Here are the dates.
- May 29. First egg laid.
- May 30. Second egg laid.
- May 31. Third egg laid.
- June 1. Fourth egg laid.
- June 16. Young hatched.
- June 23. Young have not flown yet.
While the female was incubating, the male still fed the young of the first brood, although not so often as when they left the nest.—Wolfrid Rudyerd Boulton, Jr. (Age 14 years), Beaver, Pa.
[Perhaps no better word of appreciation of this carefully worded description of personal observations could be given than to quote from a letter written by Mr. Herbert K. Job with reference to the data given by Master Boulton, Jr.: “His accurate information about the periods of incubation and rearing of the Bluebird came in handy to me just now, as there is a pair in a box up-state which I want to ‘film’ at just the right period, and now I can estimate when to make the trip.” The pictures illustrating this article were not only taken, but also developed and finished by the observer.—A. H. W.]
A MUSICAL WOODLAND
Riding on my pony in a thick-set wood, I heard the “Feathered Musicians” playing on their instruments.
First the trill of the Wood Thrush, then the sweet trill of the Meadowlark, the rapidly repeated ‘wickci’ of the Flicker, the sweet melody of the Robin, the charming song of the Song Sparrow, and the ‘chip’ of the Chipping Sparrow, were most delightful.
Far off in the distance I could hear the sweet Canary-like whistle of the Goldfinch and the ‘eak’ of the Purple Grackle.