File:A - birding on a bronco (1896) (14755390315).jpg

Identifier: birdingonbronco00bail (find matches)
Title: A - birding on a bronco
Year: 1896 (1890s)
Authors: Bailey, Florence Merriam, b. 1863
Subjects: Birds -- California San Diego County
Publisher: Boston New York : Houghton, Mifflin and Co. : Cambridge, MA : The Riverside Press
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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^ wrens nest I found another,high in the mouth of the bag with one fresh eggin it! The egg was a linnets, and the nest hadbeen built right on top of the wrens. Such astench came from the bag that I took out theupper nest and found the four little wrens deadin their crib. I had become very fond of the winsome motherbird, and so much interested in her brood that
Text Appearing After Image:
The Xosebaj; Nest. (VigorHs Wren.) 174 A-BIRDING ON A BRONCO. this horrid discovery came like a tragedy in thefamily of a friend. And what did it all mean? Unless the oldwrens had been dead, could the linnets havegotten possession? The wrens were asually ableto hold their own in a discussion. If the nestlingshad been alive, would the linnets — would anybird — have built upon them, deliberately bury-ing them alive? It seemed too diabolical. Onthe other hand, what could have killed the littlewrens and left them in the nest ? If they hadbeen dead when the linnets came to build, howcould the birds have chosen such a sepulchre fora building site ? Grieving over my little friends, I cleaned outthe nosebag and hung it up on its peg. Threeweeks later I discovered, to my great perjjlexity,that a pair of wrens had built in the bottom ofthe bag and had one egg in the nest. Now, wasthis the same pair of birds that had built therebefore, and if so, what did it all mean ? XV. now I HELPED BUILD

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