THE FEEDING OF NESTLING BIRDS 195 



by a process of regurgitation. This transfer of food is ac- 

 companied by a series of gulps, strains and wrigglings of the 

 head and neck on the part of both birds." (3, p. 67). Attention 

 will be called later to this description of the regurgitative process. 



The Glossy Ibis, which belongs to the Herodiones, practices 

 the same method. Baynard (4, p. 109) says: ' The manner 

 of the Glossy Ibis in feeding [its young] is to regurgitate the 

 food up into the throat or mouth and for the young to put his 

 bill, and many times his head, down the old one's throat and 

 take his portion." As the young of this species grew older the 

 parent would disgorge partially digested moccasins into the nest, 

 and the young would pick up the food. 



Very slightly differing from this is the account by Ward of 

 the feeding of the young of the Herring Gull (5). Ward (quoted 

 by Strong, 6, p. 37) describes the process as follows: ; The 

 young comes in front of an adult and with a bowing and 

 courtesying movement puts up its bill to that of the old one, 

 continuing the bowing for several minutes, resting between 

 times. Sometimes it took hold of the adult's bill with its own, 

 at other times merely touched bills. When the adult opened 

 its mouth the young put its bill within. Failing to get indica- 

 tions of food, it went to another adult, and repeated the opera- 

 tion, passing in succession to several, until at length it seemed 

 to get some favorable signs, for it remained by this one, alter- 

 nately begging and resting. After some time it was apparent 

 to me that the adult was striving to regurgitate. It would 

 open its mouth, stretch nearly horizontally, then bring its head 

 down to the ground. After a moment it would close its bill, 

 turn its head to one side and look at the ground over which 

 it had been straining, as though expecting to find something 

 there. Other gulls were from time to time attracted to the 

 scene, but were promptly chased away by this bird, who ran 

 rapidly at them with open beak and outstretched wings. Perhaps 

 half an hour after these efforts began I saw a portion of a fish 

 appear in its mouth, and a moment later it was deposited on 

 the ground, when the young promptly seized it . . . The 

 adult assisted in breaking it up . . . The young fed mostly 

 from the ground, but occasionally snatched a piece from the 

 bill of the adult." Strong has made similar observations on 

 this process in the same species (6 and 7). 



