essert to her dinner. On one occasion he let her
return twice before he left, occupying her place for eight minutes,--an
enormous length of time for a redstart. More often he grew impatient in
less than three minutes, and once he forgot himself so far as to call
while in the nest.

During the sitting there came two days of steady, pouring rain and high
wind. I feared the hopes of that family, as well as others all about,
would perish, but the brave little mother bore the depressing season
well. The eggs were never left uncovered, nor did that gay rover, her
spouse, forget to take her place as usual.

On the morning of my fourth day of watching, I saw there was news;
sitting was over, and though they could not be seen, it was easy to
picture the featherless, wide-mouthed objects, evidently so lovely to
the young parents. Close work as it had been to observe the movements
of the pair, it was much harder after that, they became at once so wary.
I am sure they never regarded me in any way as a spy, for I was not in
their highway; moreover, they would certainly have expressed their mind
if they had. Yet they came and went entirely from the other side, and so
exactly opposite the nest that often I could not see even the flit of a
wing. Not until one stood on the threshold could I see it, and the most
untiring vigilance was necessary. Even before this madame was cautious
in her going and coming; she first dropped about two feet to a branch,
paused a moment, then went to a second one, still lower, thus left the
tree near the ground, and in returning she began at the lowest branch
and retraced her steps to the nest.

That day the father of the new family seemed very joyous, and treated us
to a great deal of singing, though it was not a singing-day, being very
cold, with a steady rain. The pretty little mother took thoughtful care
of her brood. For a half hour or more she worked very busily, her mate
helping, and fed them well; then she deliberately sat down upon those
youngsters, exactly as though they were still eggs. There she stayed as
long as she thought best, and then she went to her work again.

The morning they were six days old I had the pleasure of seeing a
movement in the nest. When the sun reached a certain height above the
tree, it shone into that small mansion in such a way as to reveal its
contents; thus I could see the redstart babies moving restlessly,
evidently in haste already to come out into the world. Thi