I well remember
he told me that I now had seen the nest and eggs of the smallest
feathered creature except the Lady Bird, and he never had found
its cradle himself.
Every summer I discovered nests by the dozen, and for several
years a systematic search was made for the home of a Lady Bird.
One of the unfailing methods of finding locations was to climb a
large Bartlett pear tree that stood beside the garden fence, and
from an overhanging bough watch where birds flew with bugs and
worms they collected. Lady Birds were spied upon, but when they
left our garden they arose high in air, and went straight from
sight toward every direction. So locating their nests as those
of other birds were found, seemed impossible.
Then I tried going close the sweetest flowers, those oftenest
visited, the petunias, yellow day lilies, and trumpet creepers,
and sitting so immovably I was not noticeable while I made a study
of the Lady Birds. My first discovery was that they had no tail.
One poised near enough to make sure of that, and I hurried to my
father with the startling news.
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