6 4 THE CONDOR [ VOL. VIII

the trail that led away from the nest. As soon as I stopped, he began turning and twisting, stretching his neck to look under a leaf. He hung by his toes head down and swung back up like a trapeze performer. Then he swung head down again, dropped and lit right side upon the branch below. He made a high jump of over a foot, but grabbed nothing. And such unconcern! He never looked at me. "You're entertaining, but not so public-spirited as you seen;," I said, as I followed him off down the wrong path away from the nest. I'll never forget the day we trudged up with the can;era to get a picture of the eggs. When we reached the chickadee villa, the mother was at home. I knocked at the base so she would leave. Then I shook  ' the stub, but she didn't take the hint. I took a little twig and poked in, trying to lift  her up. She met my advance with a peculiar little explosion [ that sounded like a mad cat in a box. Finally, I cut a piece right out of the back  part of her house where the wall was thin. There she sat,  immovable, while I focused my camera. The little black   eyes showed a brave determi- nation that I've seldom seen in a bird. I carefully slid the ,  piece back again and locked it with a string. - , ,' I knew she had performed a " t'4 .'- heroic act. I sat down under  ' the tree to watch. The in- '"' '   stant all was quiet she shot '$' ' fr-m the door like a winged , , bullet and struck right on the ',' limb beside her mate, who  - had been"dee-dee-ing" to her . ' .  ' ! I sallthewhile- k ' Of course birds do not feel ,,t : ..... as we feel, but I don't believe a sweetheart ever met her NI-.T AND EOG OF CHICKADEE[; $TUF4P OPENED FROM REAR; lover returning from a field A-- SEVN EOGS .^TC.EO of battle wi:th a greater show of joy. They simply threw themselvesinto each other's arms. It wasn't a silent meeting either; there were real cracks of kisses and twitters of praise. Chickadees are not hun;an by any means, but had she not defended her home all alone against the mighty invasion of a giant ? A day or so later I really did catch both the owners away from the nest, and I counted seven dotted eggs on a cottony couch. When the mother returned. she was so flustered and worried that I closed the door and started to leave in a hurry. But I hadn't stepped away more than ten feet before she was clinging at the