Mar. 20—~The Swallows arrived this morning, and T had no difficulty finding them in large numbers at their usual haunts... all of which is quite understandable because we have followed the migration move~ ments for years and now know they always come between the 18th and 22nd of March... but certain actions among our local bird-population are still puzzling me, and I can only imagine this is one of the main fasclnations of bird study. Take my garden Msgples as an example, Why should these birds have pushed up-Fight twigs into my chimney-tops—some of them forked twigs, 60. that they look lo miniature trees? this an attempt to decorate the chim-noys, to make them look more cheerful and homelike—just as certain other birds decorate their nests and playgrounds with coloured shells etc.?
cannot answer this question but feel that one day will know, Then take Maggie's behaviour at fecdingtime, now that she is busily engaged the task of incubation. If she feels she can approach the food without any danger to her goodselt, she does so and behaves like any other hungry bird: but if I am around and she dare not come near (for she is a most suspicious creature).she sends Father out on piratical expeditions to steal food from smaller birds... and when he comes back with a beaicfull, begins to behave ike a baby-bird begging to be fed... squatting down, fluttering wings and all the rest of it... them, after receiving the dainty morsels, returns to her matronly duties in the nest, It is a sort of "mutton dressed as lamb" exhibition, for which 1 could find many parallels in human life, but the reasons for which T cannot understand in the much more practical world of birds.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.