. The home life of wild birds; a new method of the study and photography of birds. Birds; Photography of birds. 50 Wild Bird s. it is often abandoned and a new one built for the second brood, but whether a new nest shall be built or not depends rather upon habit or caprice than actual need. The old nest is sometimes repaired, or even occupied without change during the same season. On the other hand, three nests are sometimes built in line and under cover, where a sin- gle one if put in good repair would have answered the purpose. I once saw a Robin's nest fixed to the end of a stick of wood th
. The home life of wild birds; a new method of the study and photography of birds. Birds; Photography of birds. 50 Wild Bird s. it is often abandoned and a new one built for the second brood, but whether a new nest shall be built or not depends rather upon habit or caprice than actual need. The old nest is sometimes repaired, or even occupied without change during the same season. On the other hand, three nests are sometimes built in line and under cover, where a sin- gle one if put in good repair would have answered the purpose. I once saw a Robin's nest fixed to the end of a stick of wood that leaned against the side of a barn, and the stone-gra)- color of the background formed an excellent screen for its concealment. Many wild birds, such as Robins, Orioles, Wrens, Woodpeckers, to mention only a few species, breed within the confines of cities, and the question naturally arises, — do the birds come to town, or does the town go to them ? We know how strong is the instinct for j'oung birds to return to the place of their birth, if not to the selfsame spot, at least to the same neighborhood, and they continue to do this until driven off by enemies or by hard times. My house in Cleveland hap- pens to be placed in the midst of what was an apple orchard of a large farm a generation ag-o, and a few of its ancient trees still remain in the back yard. Are the Robins which nest in them to-day the descendants of the birds which used to come to the old farm? Possibly, for the birds will return, so long as the human inhabitants and the food which their presence insures remain. In this way man)- birds have undoubtedl}' grown into city life. As the farm became a part of the village and the village was swallowed by the town, the migratory species, true to their old asso- ciations, returned to their former haunts each spring. I have known two illustrations of this in Cleveland, where Red-headed Woodpeckers clung to the ancestral tree until enveloped by miles of city streets, an
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1901
