1 1 98 



The Cornell Reading-Courses 



Mating and home building 

 I Birds are ardent wooers; does the female seem to have entire freedom 



of choice in selecting her mate? 



Which of the pair seems to decide 

 on the nesting site? 



Do both birds work at the nest 

 building ? 



Characteristic forms of birds' nests : 

 one's ability to identify the 

 builder of a nest without seeing 

 its occupant. 



Are bird homes occupied a second 

 time by the same family? Are 

 deserted bird homes utilized to 

 any extent by other creatures? 



Nestlings: their growth and care 



Usual niimber of eggs laid by each 

 species; time taken for incu- 

 bation; appearance of young 

 when hatched. 



Kind of food given to the young; 

 frequency of feeding; rapidity 

 of growth. 



Bird housekeeping: how are nest 

 and young kept clean? 



Difference in appearance between 

 the young and their parents ; time 

 required to put on adult plumage. 

 5 If but one pair of each species studied nested in each square mile of 

 New York State, and reared the usual brood of four or five nestlings, 



Fig. 66. 



-Eggs of bluebird in the nest of an 

 old apple-tree 



