346 FRANCIS H. HERRICK 



nate may pertain to the inherited nervous mechanism, and it 

 is certainly more pronounced in some individuals than in 

 others. Whenever the cock takes a hand in building, it would 

 be interesting to ascertain what effect, if any, his mo\'ements 

 may have upon the female, or if she in turn is influenced by him, 

 but the matter did not receive attention early enough to settle 

 this point. 



Nest No. 2. — At a second nest observed at approximately 

 the same place, time, and stage, 14 visits were recorded in the 

 course of one hour and eight minutes. The female in this 

 instance worked with greater rapid it}^ and conditions were not 

 so favorable for close scrutinv. So far as could be ascertained 

 the number of molds at each \isit seldom exceeded eight, the 

 number of revolutions two, the time occupied varying from 

 i^ to 3^- minutes. Alternation in the direction was not so 

 regular and ran as follows: R, R, L, R, L (R), R, L (R), L, 

 R, L (R), L, R. R, L. Four breaks occur in this chain, and a 

 peculiarity to be noticed was that on three occasions the bird 

 after turning to the left (L (R) ), finished by reversing and 

 making two or three molds to the right. 



Lack of Attmiement in Instincts of the Male. — At this nest 

 the male seemed to be lacking in ardor, for although his alarm 

 was frequently heard, he did not so closeh^ and persistently 

 follow his mate. This impression was further confirmed by 

 the following curious incident. While the female was en- 

 grossed with her work at the nest this male brought a cherry, 

 but she slipped off without paying him heed. The cock, how- 

 ever, landed on the nest, and in a disconcerted manner dabbed 

 at it several times, or at least lowered and raised his head, 

 while still holding to the cherry, which after he had sounded 

 an alarm, was carried away. No food was seen to pass between 

 the pair, and since one was in plain view of the other, such 

 conduct seems to be plainly due to a premature development 

 of the instinct to feed the young, and to be strictly comparable 

 to that of the bluebird to be noticed later (see p. 367). 



To return to the first nest : this was essentially completed 

 on the evening of the second da3% by the addition of fine dead 

 grass. The rim, though commonly firm and smooth, remained 

 in this instance thin and weak. The character of the nest 

 rim undoubtedly results from the regular movements aided 



