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Saw -whet Homes 55 The parents at first were shy, flying in circles overhead and calHng in their clear voices to each other. After reconnoitering, they evidently arranged a plan of action. Both disappeared entirely; then I heard a call and, looking up, saw on the brow of the hill to the left, away from the nest, which was to the right, a bird I judged to be the male. He ran toward me, called, ran still nearer, then flew away; and as I looked toward the nest I saw the mother just leaving. In this way he tried to attract my attention every time the female neared the site of their precious home. Then I watched the mother. She never flew to the nest. I would first see her on the hillside some distance away running around as though she had no particular aim in life, but still she kept getting nearer and nearer to the nest. The surface of the ground was rough with stones, ridges, hollows, and drifts of snow, and taking advantage of these she would finally run quickly a short distance, stop and huddle down, then run, and in this way reach the nest. As I could only get an occasional glimpse of her when nearing her Aoung, she time after time fed them and flew away before I could be sure she was in a position that would not cast a shadow on them. I have watched Phcsbes, Robins, Wax- wings and other birds feed their young, but I never saw it done so quickly or in such a secretive manner. They grew so fast that they crowded one another out of the nest, which was on such a slant that before they were half grown they would tumble out and roll a little ways down hill, and twice I had to replace them. I intended getting a picture of the birds when they were nearly feathered, but cloudy weather followed by storms of rain and snow pre- vented. Ten days after hatching it was again clear and I went to get another negative, but found that the nest was empty. Saw-whet Homes BY F. B. FEABODY. Hibbing, Minnesota W ilh photographs from nature b> the author THY. breeding habits of the Acadian (^wl are little known even by those who are personally familiar with the little fellow. Hut there are haunts of his where the patient may find lu'm tiioroughU at home. Riding across a sea of flooded prairie, along the Red River of the North, April 4, iS<>S, on the saddest of errands, I renewed acquaintance with the Saw -whet, after an interim of main years. Hrought to a halt by a washed-out britlge, 1 hat) leii my mare over a twelve-foot drift to shelter, ami kept on along the railroad track that threailed the waste of waters. It was near midnight. Nearing Hallock, along the South Fork, narrowK . but hcaviU, wooded with primeval tn-es, 1 heard, ilelightedly,