att eeeteet beet rashe: - Faowe meberwre bette 9euperine Dy 81 | sebaaapadatrereahtiebaralasazdadaaa diate Gompight Noo COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT: From a painting . TOUNS ELUE JAYS CAMERA STUDIES WILD BIRDS IN THEIR HOMES BY CHESTER A. REED, B.S. Author of “Land Birds,” “Water Birds,’ “Flower Guide,” “Nature Studies,’ North American Birds’ Eggs,” etc. With More Than 200 Illustrations From Photographs of Living Wild Birds Cuas. K. Resp, Worcester, Mass. 1911 Copyrighted 1911 Chas. K. Reed, Worcester, Mass. PREFACE Although I had previously made many photographs in which living birds formed either the chief or a secondary object of the picture, it was in the year nineteen hundred that my first real efforts in the line of bird photography were made. The paths of camera-hunters in this line are not by any means strewn with roses. I have had my share of the necessary hard work, hardships, sometimes dangers, disappointments and the many failures to be expected. On the other hand, I have as results about two thousand good negatives and several thousand others not satisfactory to me but still passably good. Success or failure depends practically upon the dispo- sitions of the individual birds selected as subjects. If they are willing,—you get the picture; if not,—you pack up your outfit and depart, chalking down another failure. I have been very fortunate in this respect for “my” birds have nearly always proved very tractable; what failures I have recorded have been due chiefly to the fact that I was not willing to cause undue suffering to the little birds either from lack of food or too long exposure to hot sun- rays. I have always worked upon the principle that no bird photograph is worth even the risk of destruction to a nest of little birds. I speak of this because I wish to im- press upon all my readers who may undertake bird pho- tography that pictures must always take a place secondary to the welfare of the little birds. A few minutes exposure to hot rays of a burning sun may prove fatal to young birds ;—therefore always when possi- ble have them shaded. Digestion, in a young bird, takes place very rapidly; an hour without food may prove fatal to a very young bird,—therefore do not be the means of causing the parents to withhold food from the little ones for long at a time. Changing the location of a nest even but a short distance may cause the owners to desert it or may leave it exposed to attacks from cats, squirrels or other enemies,—therefore do not for any reason remove a nest from its original site. I have selected, as far as possible, pictures in series show- ing the various happenings at nests of the different birds. Unfortunately limited space will not permit of showing my large series of sea birds and birds of prey, so I have selected chiefly the more common song and insectivorous birds. Every half-tone shown is from a photograph of an au- thentic nest in its original location as chosen by the bird or of living, free, wild birds. The majority of these are of my own making, but to fill in series I have used a few that have been published in American Ornithology. I wish to give credit to the makers of these as follows: G. C. Embody, Fig. 13. C. A. Smith, Fig. 105-6, 83. A. R. Dugmore, Fig. 104, 212. G. E. Moulthrope, Fig. 44-5, 50, 253. J. H. Miller, Fig. 41, 80, 252, 254, 71, 111. J..E. Seebold, Fig. 34-5. R: H. Beebe, Fig. 114, 234; 242, 62, 67,257, 189, 85-6: I. E. Hess, Fig. 248-9, 93. zelee Bicketoral Fig. 166. . M. Schreck, THe. 238, 246-7. . R. Spaid, ve 69, 70, 130. . J. Meyer, Fig. 199. . S. Horton, Fig. 97, 8 . R. Miller, Fig. 135-6, 48, 51. . F. Stone, Fig. 17, 53. . F. Smith, Fig. 73, 122. - 1): Wheedon, Fig, 2505 112: sreista sats CONTENTS 2 DED IE TSLTICNS (agS e (6 BIeD STUDIES IN BLACK AND WHITE ......:........0+ 9 m@he Chickadee (15 illustrations) .............. 9 the Nuthatch (13 illustrations) ......3........ 21 SCG SS Georgie ener ea 31 Pmumeycowilt (3 iWlustrations)\ os... 0. 00.63 a 31 Raeithawk (4 illustrations) <2... .<.6..6. 6... 8 36 My Gip-peor-will (3. illustrations) <.........i+..- 43 meicccsswallow (1 illustration). 6... 0. 06... 46 Bank Swallow (2 illustrations) ...+............ AT epPRMMRAROSODINES Ee 2) Scehcdo ay so, 50. cis! ails) osoos SRO enoue eure wt we oil Bnoenes(Oullustrations ) * 625.2 6).6 5. 2.2 ace 2% 51 BarnsSwallow (5 illustrations) ..........0.2.4. 59 LS SEDER TL, LO TES AUG ATOR (a eee ge 65 Gttebee no ilastrations) © s0:/5. 481 ok ek es 65 ecsrart (3 Wlustrations) 2.0. ..0. 5.1. .6 00008 eee 69 Pein SIS AND, BLUE BIRDS... 52.6 ee ee 75 Pivehird (lO- illustrations) .. 20.5.6. 66. ee 15 Pita ((. Whasbrations) 0%) ee a Le vs es 82 RiecceoweneD ELOMES: 2. 6222 ieee oc be eee hb aes 91 HMummimgbird (4 illustrations) 2.0.50... . 625.) 91 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (1 illustration) .......... 97 Wwodd-bewee (ll: illustration): -23..0.. 2.55023. 98 PeMOHUERSONGSTRRS 2.2 550. 655 6 bern 3 aoe'vie Se ee lke Sales 103 Goldtneh (2 allustrations) ©... vac Se clae w es 101 apinacis: illustrations) = 7. .0.).4)o2 aso 2 es 103 Meer ilhistrations)) 2... 6. lee este sues « 117 Mood “Bhrash (3 illustrations): .22.. 5.0024... 6. 123 Grosbeak) (S iliistrations)* . 5. a. 2.3265 sap.\e ae ed < s 125 Catwird. (Oallusiratiows))-c.0. 20a. ieee. So sta we ss 130 ibzowm Chrasher (7 wWhistrations) 2.450246 . =. s. 135 PS WEnET MODEL SHUN (GE obo se nike Gem'e sab Gl os ees Giele ie w 143 Wedarbird (8 illustrations) 22.25 2. 2. ee ws 143 Cuekoos: (7 iWlustrations)" 222% 22.5%. eet es alee ONLY SPARROWS: 3.0 Rafe ee Oe eee 159 Chipping Sparrow (10 illustrations) ........... 159 Song Sparrow (2 illustrations) “200-6254. 170 Field Sparrow (4 illustrations) 22 720-4 .ee eee 172 Grasshopper Sparrow (1 illustration) .......... 176 Tre IMposrer”. 2c ihor cuvoe © acta eee 179 Maryland Yellow-throat! 002) 2.52400 see 179 Cowbird (illustrations) (272 726% ee ee 179 SwiNnGINe; HOMES). doo. aoe eae ti ee 186 Red-eyed Vireo (7-1llustxrations) 7.62 oa eee 186 Bush-Tit,-(2 wlustrations).e2% 5 '4 32:05 ae 195 THr, (GLBANERS?-. «05 6 Sees ce 6 Co aie eee 199 Golden-winged Warbler. 2) 43. eee eee 198 Black-and-White Warbler (7 illustrations)....... 199 Chest.-sided Warbler (6 illustrations)........... 207 Prairie (Warbler) (3) illustrations))5. 3. ee 211 Ovenbird *(3 \allustrations)0\4.-). 7.44400 eee ile Yellow Warbler (1 illustration) 2235-4 ee 219 PisHer-Birbs. 2s cs oe oie sses at oe Sec acne ce ee 223 Kingfisher (9) illustrations), 7.9.7.2 45., 4.5- ee 223 Osprey: (4 illustrations) 275 2):-2 2ic.-'el oe eee 231 My SanppPiprr FRIENDS «00 G0. hoi: ois cee ee 239 (9 illustrations) Tur WoopLanD APARTMENT .\0) 20... oc oC ee 251 Downy Woodpecker (14 illustrations) .......... 251 House Wren’ (10 illustrations). <2). -(. ee 262 Carolina’ Wren\( 1 illustration) (2.52 je ae 270 FPREATHERED * TYRANTS», o/./0)s)ece Sucre 6 e+ oeegs Cee eee 2711 Kangebird (10 iilustrations) °.%. 425. 2 tae ee Patil Arkansas Kingbird (1 illustration) (eee... ae 280 Rocky Mountain Jay (2 illustrations)........... 279 Loggerhead Shrike (6 illustrations) ~....-. 7.5.06 284 THe Woop Hi wirs « 5.5%. sii. oy4e.cic US cee ee 295 Flicker \(4 wlusteations)); - Grn: eatae, ae ree 295 Red-headed Woodpecker (2 illustrations) ....... 2907 Sapsucker ((2 illustrations), 2. 2.7.)))-co- 9 eee 299 How Birp PHoToGraPHs aRE MADE................ 305 ENDER (500850655 ee ee bn ae 311 INTRODUCTION. Very few persons as they look at pictures in magazines or in books ever give an instant’s thought as to the time, the patience or perhaps hardships the photographer might have endured in the making of them. With the general public, the prevalent idea is that anyone with a camera of any kind can take a “‘snap-shot’” of anything and get a good picture. As a matter of fact, very few good pictures of any subject are ever secured by the commonly accepted “snap-shot” method. Some thought and study, even though it be done almost instantly, must be given as to the composi- tion and the probable appearance of the finished picture. I have done nearly all kinds of photography,—land- scape, marine, portraiture, pet animals, press photography (which is very exacting), etc. I do not believe that any other class of photography offers the difficulties or has as large a percentage of failures as will be encountered by one who essays photographing living, wild birds. Some of the pictures that follow were obtained with the greatest of ease but they were of exceptional birds and I am duly thankful to them for the consideration they showed me. Others represent hours and even days of hard work and frequent disappointments. It was only by the very narrowest margin that the taking of one of the series shown did not lead to the printing of my obituary. In the last chapter I give some details that may be of assistance to those who wish to make pictures of birds. I only speak of the difficulties here so that those who scan the pictures on the succeeding pages may not think one can grab up a camera, rush to the woods and take pictures of birds offhand. Just remember that more than seventy-five per cent. of the adult birds, whose pictures are shown, were between three and four feet from the lens of the camera and figure out how many birds you ever approached as closely as that. 9 BIED STUDIES IN BLACK AND WHITE Tuer CHICKADEE We were wending our way along a narrow country lane, hedged in on either side by stone walls and bushes, when a clear “‘phe-be,” whistled in that high-pitched, clear tone, such as only the Chickadee can produce, attracted our atten- tion. A few steps more we went, and the song suddenly ceased and changed to a series of “dee-dee-dee’s” uttered ) PLL Fig. 2, NEST OF CHICKADEE. Part of stump removed to show the twelve eggs,--a very un- usual number. In a birch stub, barely two feet above ground. Fig. 3. MADAM CHICKADEE AND HER HOME, She has a green caterpillar in her beak; as it was a lively one, she has beaten it on a branch until it is mis-shapen and nearly dead. as rapidly as they could come from the throat of an angry bird. It was very evident that we were uncomfortably near her home, but in which direction it was, we did not know and, had she been wise and remained silent, we probably never would have known. She came down very close to us and we saw that she had her beak filled to the brim with 11 plant lice. How she could retain her grip upon them and still ‘““dee-dee”’ so vigorously was a mystery, but the sound poured forth as rapidly from between her closed mandibles as it did later after she had deposited the food where it belonged. . Naturally, with a mother bird anxious to feed her babies, to help us, it required but a few minutes to locate the nest in a small dead tree beside the wall. Violent as had been her protestations when we first found her, she soon became quite reconciled to our presence and, in a short time, was one of the tamest birds with which I have had to deal. For the next three or four hours we camped out right be- side her home and, from the protection of a smal] tent, made a number of negatives of her and her mate going back and Fig. 4. FATHER CHICKADEE AND HIS LOAD. He was more shy than his mate and watched the tent closely each time before entering. eS ‘07 ynogN 82 VYhLL ay? WO 2UO uno fippasp aany way} Jo om) tsmozjaj fijaay avam hayy, 13 forth. The little birds were fed, on an average, about once in every four minutes, the adults timing their visits so that one was nearly always present. Mrs. Chickadee nearly always brought a load of tiny insects, most often plant lice,—so small that she must have brought from twenty to forty at each trip. Her mate was a philosopher, or it may have been that he was simply lazy, for he always brought single, large, white grubs, which certainly must have been easier to collect and perhaps were more filling than quantities of mites. Fig. 6. She was not timid and always lit on the side of the branch nearest the tent, as though to shield her little ones. In order to see the little Chickadees, we made the opening to the nest a little larger. We found that they were pretty large “‘little Chickadees” for the only difference in appear- ance they showed from their parents was in abbreviated tail feathers. There were six of them, five of which were very capable of short flights; in fact one slipped through my fingers and got away before I had a chance to see how large they were. When we decided to arrange the five little fellows, tha still remained, on a stick so that we might picture their par- 14 ents feeding them, I knew that we would have our hands more than full; and my expectations were fully realized. Mother Chickadee ought to have been very proud of her children, and undoubtedly she was. They obeyed every command from her, and she called “jump” (in bird lan- guage) just as often as we placed them in position to suit us. If it were possible to obtain a little knowledge of bird Fig. 7. A SEXTETTE OF CHICKADEBES, Try as we would we could not persuade more than six of the dozen to pose for their pictures. language, I would give considerable to know just the sounds that mean “keep: still.” We finally got the pictures we wanted, but we earned them, and surely the little fellows earned the freedom that we allowed them as soon as we had made two exposures. 15 I have found and photographed several other families of Chickadees, one nest of which contained twelve eggs. I think this is about a record number and certainly it is more than these birds should have had, for the birch stump was so small that the eggs were arranged in tiers. They did, however, succeed in raising the entire family success- fully. When the little fellows were most ready to leave home, they filled the stump from the bottom of the cavity to Fig. 8. Father Chickadee often made the mistake of alighting at the wrong side. It is the two little birdies at the left that are to be fed this time. + the top. Those at the bottom were continually pushing their way up in order to get fed in their turn,—a perfect cir- culation of young Chickadees. One summer, Mr. E. H. Forbush, well known in orni- thological circles, wrote me that if I would appear with my tl a i i i ee a en, * Fig. 9. MR. FORBUSH WATCHING HIS CHICKADEE, This bird repeatedly lit on the side, and top of the nesting box, went in and fed her little ones while Mr. Forbush was watching them through the glass front. From a painting BLUEBIRD CHIPPING SPARROW From a painting Fig. 10. A close view of the male bird about to enter the nest- ang box. camera he could promise me a bird treat. The next day I I arrived at his house and was shown the home of a pair of i Chickadees in a bird box attached to the sill of a second story shed window. It probably was the first successful at- tempt to induce these little birds to utilize a box attached to a dwelling. ES 6. Ss ee nie ie by bird lovers. Fig. 12. They are quite fearless2in winter and occasionally feed trom the hand. They appreciate the winter lunch counter provided 19 The back of the box facing the window, was removable, so that all that transpired, as the parents fed the five little birds, could be plainly watched at a distance of but two feet. The value of a family of these birds on the premises is easily seen from the fact that all shrubs and plants about the house were kept entirely free from plant lice during the season. Fig. 18. Cavities in orchard trees make fine nesting places. You will notice, by one of the accompanying pictures, that the Chickadees were not in the least afraid, but came and went even though they were being watched at close range. The little ones left the nest shortly after this pic- ture was taken, flying first to Mr. Forbush’s shoulder, then to his hat and thence out into the wide, wide world. Chickadees can easily be induced to remain about farm houses in summer if they are occasionally fed during the winter, when food is scarce or difficult to obtain. Even if the orchard contains no trees with decayed limbs, in which they can nest, they will remain if you wire short scctions of decayed birches to some of the trees. = Fig. 14. A piece of suet is just the thing for Chickadees on cold wintry days. Fig. 15. A white-breasted Nuthatch and the bountiful repast ) of nu‘s and suet provided for him by a human friend. ) Fig. 16. Does a Nuthatch like nuts? Note the inverted posi- tion. These birds love to be head downward. WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH Here is an acrobat worthy of notice. Apparently in de- fiance of all laws of gravity, he nimbly runs down tree trunks head-foremost, with never a falter. To him, the un- der side of a limb is just as secure a resting place as the top. A very close watch of his movements will show how he is able to get into such unbalanced positions; one foot is carried well forward under his breast but the other is reached back and grasps the bark behind so he can progress downward in a series of quick hitches. LOWAIUL GY? MOYS 07 panowas Quy AWOH HOLVHLON HHL ay) Jo W0uI08 F "LT 31a Most of the nuthatch nests I have found have been lo- cated in holes in large chestnut trees, from twenty to fifty feet from the ground and of course, entirely unsuited for photographic purposes. Finally a pair was located breed- ing in a decayed limb of an apple tree very near a farm house and only about six feet from the ground. At the bot- tom of the cavity, on a soft bed of grasses and feathers, lay five, delicate eggs covered with reddish brown specks. The male was very attentive to his mate while she was sitting upon her eggs and often carried tempting grubs to her. Again he would slide down the limb just above her Fig. 18. IN AN OLD APPLE TREE. Fig. Fig. 19. CLEANING THE NEST. Note the male bird in the rear. 20. FATHER NUTHATCH ARRIVES. Fig. 21. The male Nuthatch was ahandsome bird with a glossy black crown. and utter a soft “yank, yank” until she gave an answering “yank” from within. He did not spend much of his time in the apple tree, for to have done so would have advertised his home too conspiciously, but he was always within sight in the woods across the road. He could often be heard dili- gently hammering to get grubs that were concealed beneath the bark. Fig. 28. The little birds and their parents assumed all man- ner of poses. 27 I often watched him, standing on the shaggy bark of a chestnut tree, pounding away with might and main, some- times putting his bill under an edge of the bark and prying until it seemed as though he might snap his bill in the mid- dle. When hammering they always take their position above their work, just as the human wood-chopper likes to do. Fig. 24. Caterpillars were eaten with a relish. The male nuthatch, known by his glossy black crown, never took a turn at sitting upon the eggs leaving such duties “exclusively to his gray-crowned wife. After the eggs hatched he assumed the greater part of the burden of feeding the little ones, coming with food at least twice as often as did his mate. I suspect this was because he was more skillful at uncovering larvae and grubs, and not be- cause of any desire on his part to work more than necessary. Fig. 26. The inconvenience of being in the way when brother’s turn comes. Wig. 27. His children were clamoring to be fed, so loudly that, in his excitement, father stood on one of them. Besides grubs and larvae, the little ones were fed upon many kinds of millers and sometimes upon cracked corn that was picked up in the hen yard. Two weeks after the eggs hatched, the young were nearly large enough to leave the nest. They looked almost like their parents, the males having glossy black crowns, and the females gray ones. The five youngsters were arranged side by side on a small limb and many views taken of the parents as they fed them. Both parents never came to the branch at the same time, though one would often stay in the apple tree and watch while the other one was pushing food into the cavernous mouths. The little birds were very tractable, not behaving at all like the little chickadees. In fact they did not fly from the branch at all, but they were inclined to clamber along it so as to reach the trunk of the tree. 30 The name Nuthatch was given to birds of this family because of their supposed habit of hammering or “‘hatching” at nuts to get at the meat within, but as far as I know, none of the four species found in the United States ever open nuts of any kind. They are, however, very fond of the kernels and are often fed upon them as well as suet during winter months, by kind-hearted folks. Nuthatches, Chicka- Fig. 28. BROTHER AND SISTER. Note the gray crown on the female and the jet black one of the male. dees, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers are usually resident wherever they are found so that, besides the pleasure gained by watching them eat from the table provided for them, they may remain and nest the next summer in the vicinity. Any community that is so fortunate as to be the dwelling place of a number of these birds is to be envied, for they do inestimable good by destroying miny insects that ravage shade trees, fruit trees and plants. 31 AIR SCOUTS. Certain long-winged birds spend a large proportion of their existence a-wing, dashing across the fields, swooping across ponds, skimming over housetops, even sweeping the clouds. These birds may very fittingly be termed “air- scouts, —always on the lookout for insect enemies. They are constantly on duty scouring the skies, performing for mankind, in times of peace, services incomparably great- er than those expected of our aeroplane scouts in time of war. CHIMNEY SWIFT One of the most useful of these scouts is a “city dweller.” Chimney Swifts at one time nested only in hollow trees and in caves or crevices in cliffs. To-day for some unac- countable reason they nest almost exclusively within the depths of unused chimneys. We can readily understand why they like to live in cities for there the little gnats and flies they like so well are the most abundant, but it is not so plain why any species of bird should desert the compara- tively clean cavities of decayed trees for the dirty, sooty interiors of brick chimneys. It seems like a retrogressive rather than a progressive development. Swifts return to the northern states about the middle of April each year, but they delay their nest building until early May when the weather is more settled. It is quite necessary that the air be dry when they make their homes for they are held together entirely by glue which does not harden rapidly in damp weather. This glue is made by the swifts from their saliva; it is very hard and almost waterproof when dry. Their nest building is very interesting to watch but it is a slow operation often keeping the two birds busy for a week more. It is made of twigs varying in length from half an inch to a couple inches. They must of necessity be dead twigs for the birds break them from the tips of branches, 32 Big 929. CHM Note how the tail spines assist them in clinging to the upright surface. NEY SWIFT. 33 while hovering in the air; I have on numerous occasions seen them secure. nesting material in this way but never, except twice, did I see them alight on the ground to pick up pieces. The inside of the chimney, at the point selected, is smeared with glutinous saliva and the little twig covered with the same; each tiny stick is added in this manner un- til the nest projects from the wall for two or three inches and the interior is an inch deep. It makes a very strong little home when properly made. Often, however, they fail to make the front wall sufficiently high so that some of the eggs roll or are pushed out by the sitting bird. The eggs, white and from three to five in number, require incubating for nearly three weeks before they hatch. The young birds remain in the chimney for nearly a month longer before they are able to venture out on their wings. So the nesting of swifts is a slow process requiring about two months, while the ordinary insectivorous bird will get its little ones out of the nest sometimes within a month from the time the foundation was first commenced. Long before the little swifts are able to fly they get exercise by climbing about the inside of their chimney- home. A pair of swifts always built their nest directly op- posite the stove-pipe opening in the chimney of an old country house. I have often removed the cap to look at the eggs or, later, to see the four little swifts clinging to the chimney directly under the nest. They are nimble little things and seldom lose their hold. Sometimes they do, and fall to the bottom of the chimney but, by the aid of the wings, their sharp little claws and their spiney tails, they can.climb to the nest again. If you have examined Chim- ney Swifts closely, you probably have noticed that the shafts of the tail feathers project beyond the webs making sharp little spines that are of great assistance to the birds in their manner of living. As it is obviously impossible for a bird to fly upwards in 34 a vertical line and the narrow confines of a chimney would seem to make such flight a necessity, I often used to wonder just how the adult birds left the home. Of course a boy’s curiosity has to be satisfied so one day I removed the board from the front of the old-fashioned fireplace, concealed Fig. 30. NEST OF CHIMNEY SWIFT. Taken by reflected light trom a mirror. myself within and watched until my quest for knowledge was satisfied. Their movements were so rapid and the loosened soot. would persist in getting in my eyes so much that my research was no easy one. 35 Fig. 31. CHIMNEY SWIFT ON NEST. A little blurred because the bird jumped when the light was flashed on her. The chimney was about eighteen inches in width. Start- ing from the nest, the bird would leap upward, and two strong flaps of the narrow wings would carry him to the opposite wall a little more than a foot above where he start- ed; he just barely touched the side, whirled and two more beats raised him another foot. He only had about fifteen feet to rise before reaching the top and it only took about ten of the rapid side-to-side flights to accomplish it. The return to the nest was more difficult to watch as the birds came dashing down with the speed of a bullet, ap- parently not touching the sides at all. Almost before I could see them coming they would have turned and be clinging beside the nest. a - ee 36 The rapid twittering of Chimney Swifts is often heard as they wheel about overhead, and the sound is greatly aug- mented when a little swift is about to make his maiden flight into the unknown. Al] the adults and young in the vicinity gather to celebrate the event and to encourage the little fellow in his attempt. The young swifts get their wings strongly developed before leaving the chimney by flights from side to side, so that they have little to fear as they emerge into the open and follow the others over the house tops. Swifts are used by many as weather prophets and their prognostications seem to come true far more often than those of our government experts. When swifts fly high, fair weather is presumed to follow; when they fly low, look out for rain. Whether they fly high or fly low, however, you may be quite certain that it is not the state of the weather that influences them but means that the food they seek is most abundant at that level. The weather may or may not influence the altitudes at which the winged insects happen to be. NIGHTHAWKsS AND WHIP-POOR-WILLS These two birds, often confused with one another by many, are similar in form but distinctive in plumage and very different in habits. I will first note some of the dis- tinctions. Nighthawk has a white throat, white bar across the outer wing feathers, white bar across the middle of the outer tail feathers and the tail a trifle forked (female has the throat and tail bars rather buffy-colored). Whip-poor-will has a black throat, no white on wings, rounded tail and white tips to the outer feathers. These differences in plumage are positive and should distinguish the two whether seen flying or perching. But there are other differences. ms Fig. 32. NIGHTHAWK. Sitting upon her eggs on the gravel roof of a city block. 38 Nighthawks fly most at dusk or on cloudy days, frequent- ing open localities or cities; thousands see them every day during the season they are with us. Whip-poor-wills are night birds, frequenting woods and are seen by but compar- atively few persons. The call of the Nighthawk is a rasp- Fig. 33. The male spend daytime sitting lengthwise along limbs and is quite difficult to see. g, nasal “peenk,” given while flying; that of the Whip- poor-will is a loudly and rapidly whistled “whip-poor-will” often repeated twenty or more times in succession; this song is uttered while perched in the tops of trees. The differences between the two birds are so great that there is really little reason for confusion, whenever or wherever they are seen or heard. .. Nighthawks are past masters in the art of aviation. There are no feats of skill performed by other birds that cannot be equalled by these. During June and July they can ing ee 39 NEST AND EGGS OF NIGHTHAWK. ig. 34. The eggs are laid on the bare surface of a flat stone. 40 usually be seen and heard in great numbers about any large city as they circle high in the air or sweep in graceful curves over the tops of the buildings. In the country they frequent the edges of woods or burned areas where flying insects are the most easily secured. They are very sociable birds and often hunt in large flocks. I have watched fully a hundred of them at a time as they swept back and forth across a large field, curving, skimming and cavorting about in a perfect maze; with never a falter they crossed and re-. crossed paths, each seeming to read the other’s mind per- fectly so that imminent collisions were always averted. Nighthawk bills are very small but the mouth opens to a point below the eyes so that the gape is enormous. Their food is entirely caught while on the wing,—either by snap- ping up individual moths or beetles or by dashing through swarms of gnats, with wide-open mouths gathering them in by the hundreds. During the mating season the males often perform won- derful evolutions in the air. Sometimes they make perpen- dicular descents from high altitudes shooting downwards with folded wings at bullet-like speed and turning upward so suddenly that the air rushing through their wings pro- duces a hollow “booming.” On a warm, still evening during early June and the latter part of May, these “boomings” may very frequently be heard. Although so exceedingly expert in aerial evolutions, Nighthawks are very awkward when on the ground. Their small, weak feet give them a very wobbly gait so that they often require the services of their wings to keep their bal- ance. When roosting on the limbs of trees and fence rails they almost invariably sit lengthwise, their mottled plumage and motionless attitudes rendering them very inconspicious. They build no nest at all,—just lay their two mottled eggs on the bare ground, usually choosing a small sandy spot in a pasture or in very open woods; frequently they are laid in hollows on rocks or even (very commonly) on 41 ie Fig. 35. NIGHTHAWK ON ITS NEST. Note that it is not at all conspicuous, Sometimes they can be touched before they will fly. 42 flat gravel roofs of city blocks. The eggs resemble the peb- bles so closely that it is difficult to see them. A friend knowing that I am always ready to go almost anywhere to secure a good bird picture, came and informed me that a Nighthawk was sleeping on his roof every day; that it sat behind a certain chimney and would allow him to approach within a few feet before flying. I thought it strange that he made no mention of seeing the eggs, but I went along and, sure enough, the bird, a female Nighthawk, was just where he said it would be. When we were about four feet distant it sailed easily away over the surrounding roofs. My friend watched the bird until it disappeared and then turned to me with a self-satisfied air saying: “I knew it would be here; strange that it comes to the same building to roost every day, isn’t it?’ He could hardly believe. his eyes when I showed him the two eggs the bird had been covering. He had started this bird off at least half a dozen . times and had not noticed them. If the bird is flushed from the eggs when incubation is well advanced, she will attempt to lead the intruder away by feigning lameness,—a very easy matter for a Nighthawk as they progress very awkwardly on the ground anyway. Young Nighthawks are first covered with fine down but, unlike most birds that are so clothed, they move about in- differently on their feet. One or the other of the parents sits beside them during the day and they are not fed until between dusk and daylight. WHIP-POOR-WILL Unless disturbed, Whip-poor-wills pass the whole day dozing on horizontal limbs or upon fallen tree trunks. They are even more averse to moving during daylight than Owls. As soon, however, as the mantle of night has fallen over the woods, they become very active, swooping close to the ground to gather up luckless beetles or dashing upward to capture passing moths. Their bills are small but their Fig. 36. NEST AND EGGS OF WHIP-POOR-WILL. The eggs are laid on the ground or leaves with no semblance of a nest. ‘plug ayy ysinbursip Ahppsvy pnoo sua) ay} wWaaa yoy) Joajsad Os sv UOYyIa}Z0Nd 1010) NYNOOA GNV TIIMUYOOd-dIHM ‘LE “Sl a 45 mouths are perhaps even larger than those of Nighthawks. They swallow, with ease, the largest of the moths and sphinges and relish equally well small gnats or winged ants. Chuck-wills-widows, larger members of the same genus, found commonly in the Southern States are even more vor- acious and devour anything that happens to be a-wing at night and that will go in their enormous mouths; frequently Fig. 38. WHIP-POOR-WILL. Notice how perfectly she blends into the surrounding leaves. ae living bird as seen by the eye shows no plainer than it does ere. the remains of small birds are found in their stomachs, prob- ably caught while flying from one perch to another. Whip-poor-wills are very noisy on warm, clear, still nights. One night I pitched my tent beside a juniper tree on a point of land making out into a beautiful lake. This particular tree happened to be the favorite lookout perch of a Whip-poor-will, or else he was attarcted to it by the 46 white tent. At any rate one of them sat in the top of this little juniper from nine o’clock until one. It seemed to me that he ‘‘whipped-poor-will” constantly all this time. The notes are not objectionable and are interesting to listen to for a few minutes at a time, but four hours of continuous performance was too much for me, especially as the per- former was within twenty feet. I went out and gathered a few stones; as the first one went by he evidently though it some species of moth for he darted after it the same as Fig. 39. TREE SWALLOW. These swallows nest in hollow trees or in bird boxes. bats do if anything is thrown up in front of them, and then returned to the tree top and “whip-poor-willed” again. The next stone crashed through the tree below him and I saw his shadowy form flit overhead across the lake where his calls soon mingled with others of his kind and I was left undisturbed by them for the balance of the night. 47 ‘auun, jo yjbua) pun ysau moys 0) fivavw paous yung ‘MOTIVMS MNVd AO SODA CNV LSHN ‘Or Sla 48 The Whip-poor-will makes no nest but lays its two faint- ly mottled eggs on dead leaves on the ground in woods, usually where they will be partly concealed by overhanging brush. During daylight they trust to their protective color- ation entirely and it rarely fails them. You can readily judge from the photographs shown how closely they har- monize in color and markings with their surroundings. If one knows the location of a nest and uses due caution in approaching he can nearly always touch them before they will leave. . The feathers of all birds of this genus are exceedingly soft so that their flight is entirely noiseless. At night they ean thread their way in and out through the branches with an ease and grace that is incredible. I believe their sight too, at night, is even keener that that of any of the owls. SwaALLows Swallows are the most active, most persistant and most graceful gleaners of the atmosphere. Of the six species found in the eastern states, all except the Bank and the im s ga | j Fig, 41. YOUNG BANK SWALLOWS. 49 Rough-winged Swallows have taken up their abodes in buildings built by man. Even the Bank Swallow commonly nests in holes in banks where men are constantly at work digging; and the Rough-winged species often makes its homes among the stones of bridge foundations. Barn Swal- lows nest within our barns, Eave or Cliff Swallows make their homes under the eaves, Tree Swallows live in little bird houses nailed to the sides of buildings or holes in our orchard trees and Purple Martins live in colonies, often in very large, elaborate, many-roomed houses topping poles set on lawns. No other class of birds has become so almost- domesticated as the swallows. Swallows are always sociable; they sometimes nest in very large colonies and always in as large numbers as the locality will support or furnish sites for. Of course it is more difficult for Tree Swallows to find a sufficient number of suitable cavities for many to nest near together, but I have found a half dozen pairs of these nesting in one orchard. The illustration in which part of the bank has been cut away gives a perfect idea of the nesting of Bank Swallows. The little tunnel goes horizontally in for about two feet and is then enlarged to make room for the feather-lined, grass nest. The four or five eggs are pure white without markings. Los