Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 59.djvu/218

208 day, hop down to the cool water of the swamp, and after taking a sip, bathe in full view, within reach of the hand; then, shaking the water from her plumage, she would return refreshed to her nest. I have seen the male kingbird come to his nesting bough with feathers drenched from his mid-day bath in the river, the orioles flash their brilliant colors all day long before the eye, and chestnut-sided warblers become so tame after several days that the female would allow you to approach and stroke her back with the hand.

It is difficult to describe the fascination which this method of study affords the student of animal life. New discoveries, or unexpected sights wait on the minutes, for while there is a well-ordered routine in the actions of many birds, the most charming pictures occur at odd moments, and there is an endless variety of detail. It is like a succession of scenes in a drama, only this is real life, not an imitation, and there is no need of introducing tragedy.