could have done better had he not spent so much time
flying aimlessly about and scolding imaginary enemies.

Some birds have what seem to be very curious habits at the nesting
time. The jealous-hearted Hornbill of the Old World never trusts his
spouse to wander away from the nest after her duties there once begin.
In order that he may always know just where she is he quite willingly
undertakes to supply her with all her food during the days while the
incubation of the eggs is going forward. With mud he daubs up the
entrance to the hollow in the tree where she is sitting, leaving only a
small opening through which food may be passed. When the mud has dried
it becomes very hard and the patient mate is an absolute prisoner until
the day comes when she passes the word to her lord that the eggs have
hatched, and he sets her free.

In our own western country there dwells a bird known as the Phalarope,
the females of which enjoy {47} an immunity from domestic duties that
might cause the lady Hornbill many an envious sigh did she know of the
freedom of her American sister.

Mrs. Phalarope has no intention of being shut in with her eggs for a
month while her mate goes roaming at large about the country, nor has
she any idea of playing the part of the Georgia Mockingbird and
bringing five-sixths of the food which the young require. Her method
of procedure is first to permit her mate to search for a suitable
nesting site. When some sheltered spot in the ground, quite to her
liking, has been found she deposits the eggs and goes her way. Little
companies of female Phalaropes may be seen at this time of the year
frequenting the ponds and sloughs they inhabit. The dutiful and
well-trained males are all at home, where they are responsible for the
entire task of caring for, and incubating, the eggs.

_Length of Mated Life._--The length of time which birds remain mated is
a question often asked but seldom answered satisfactorily. The truth
of the {48} matter is that not much is known about the subject.
Apparently a great many birds return to the same yard and even to the
same tree to build their nest year after year. I say apparently
because such birds are seldom marked in such a way as to enable one to
be positive that they are the identical individuals which came the year
before. It is probably somewhere near the truth to say that most small
birds usually choose the same mates year after year if both survive the
dangers o