ing out her long tongue with lightning-like rapidity,
as if to moisten her beak, which at other times she cleansed by rubbing
it down with her claws or by wiping it upon a twig. In general she paid
little attention to me, though she sometimes hovered directly in front
of my face, as if trying to stare me out of countenance. One of the most
pleasing features of the show was her method of flying into the nest.
She approached it, without exception, from the same quarter, and, after
an almost imperceptible hovering motion, shut her wings and dropped upon
the eggs.

When the young were hatched I redoubled my attentions. Now I should see
her feed them. On the first afternoon I waited a long time for this
purpose, the mother conducting herself in her customary manner: now
here, now there, preening her plumage, driving away a meddlesome
sparrow, probing the florets of a convenient clover-head (an unusual
resource, I think), or snatching a morsel from some leaf or twig.
Suddenly she flew at me, and held herself at a distance of perhaps four
feet from my nose. Then she wheeled, and, as I thought, darted out of
the orchard. In a few seconds I turned my head, and there she sat in the
nest! I owned myself beaten. While I had been gazing toward the meadow,
she had probably done exactly what I had wasted the better part of the
afternoon in attempting to see.

Twenty-four hours later I was more successful, though the same ruse was
again tried upon me. The mother left the nest at my approach, but in
three minutes (by the watch) flew in again. She brooded for nine
minutes. Then, quite of her own motion, she disappeared for six minutes.
On her return she spent four minutes in dressing her feathers, after
which she alighted on the edge of the nest, fed the little ones, and
took her place upon them. This time she brooded for ten minutes. Then
she was away for six minutes, dallied about the tree for two minutes
longer, and again flew into the nest. While sitting, she pecked several
times in quick succession at a twig within reach, and I could plainly
see her mandibles in motion, as if she were swallowing. She brooded for
thirteen minutes, absented herself for three minutes, and spent six
minutes in her usual cautionary manoeuvres before resuming her seat.
For the long interval of twenty-two minutes she sat still. Then she
vanished for four minutes, and on her return gave the young another
luncheon, after a fast of one hour and six minutes.