io6 



Wild Birds. 



fall or alighting to examine it, and have tried to find the sac but usually without success. 

 One day I saw a male Robin drop the " white marble " in the grass about fifty feet from 

 the nest, and proceed to peck at it. Upon going to the spot a little later I found the sac 

 covered with dirt but not opened. It had a tenacious opaque white wall, was perfectly 

 odorless, and contained besides a few small pellets, a whole blueberry which had survived 

 the digestive process. The actions of the old bird were thus explained. He was look- 

 ing for food on his own account, but in this case missed it. 



On another occasion the mother Robin devoured all the excreta which soiled the 

 nest, and a moment later took it directly from the young and carried it away. Again on 



a later day, the same bird after swal- 

 lowing all the excreta available, 

 dropped on the nest and brooded 

 her young twenty minutes by the 

 watch, without showing the least 

 desire to reject anything which had 

 been eaten. 



The female Cedar-bird in her 

 usual round of domestic duties 

 comes to her nest of half-fledged 

 young, regurgitates cherries, and 

 after distributing them in the usual 

 fashion, inspects her household with 

 the closest attention, picking up and 

 swallowing every particle which it is 

 necessary to remove. This accom- 

 plished the mother bird has been 

 seen to spread her wings over her 

 brood, and shield them from a hot 

 August sun for over an hour. Mean- 

 time her mate came repeatedly, and 

 passed the cherries around. The fe- 

 male who stood erect astride the 

 nest, would frequently inspect and 

 clean the household. She would 

 also snap at every passing insect, and I saw her catch a large red ant, and quickly transfer 

 it to the mouth of a young bird. She would erect and lower her crest and stand with 

 mouth agape for long intervals, but there was never a sign of ejecting anything which 

 had been eaten. 



At still another nest of the Waxwing I saw the female after feeding cherries, inspect, 

 and walking around the rim of the nest, take the sacs from four young birds in succession, 

 direct from the body, and after swallowing them all, look for more. She then flew to a 

 neighboring tree and cleaned her bill. In performing the sanitary act this bird bends 

 over, and reaching forward with head turned slightly to one side, takes the sac rather 

 gingerly as it leaves the cloaca, and quickly disposes of it. In the course of forty-four 

 visits to their young of which exact record was made, this nest was cleaned eighteen 



Fig. 102. Cedar-bird cleaning the nest. Compare this common 

 attitude with that shown in Figs. 45 and 46. 



