nycatcher WESTERN BIRDS 



little Flycatchers. At that time both birds fed, one hav- 

 ing a moth in its bill, which was given to several young. 

 After feeding, the female sat on a nearby limb and 

 guarded. The male fed four times in six minutes, rest- 

 ing on the edge of the nest one-half minute after the last 

 feeding. As the bird fed, three tiny heads showed above 

 the rim. 



For the next eight minutes the female fed, making 

 three trips and resting on the edge of the nest a short 

 time. Then the male fed three times, and for thirteen 

 minutes both birds fed in all seven times, then they 

 seemed to divide the labor again; the female feeding for 

 a time, then the male doing all the feeding. In the 

 three hours and forty minutes in which we watched at 

 the nest, I came to the conclusion that it was their way 

 to take turn about in the feeding. Sometimes the watch- 

 ing bird would be seen perched in a tree not far away; 

 at other times it was out of sight. 



During three hours and forty minutes the young were 

 fed sixty-three times, the female feeding thirty-three 

 times to the male's thirty; the shortest interval being 

 one minute, the longest ten and one-half. 



At 9:30 when the female found the sun shining on 

 the nest, she settled over the young and shielded them 

 until the male came to feed. The male also did his share 

 of shielding, at one time remaining on the nest ten and 

 one-half minutes. In my mind there is little doubt but 

 that the male helps brood the eggs, for I have never seen 

 a bird that did not help incubate take the nest as did 

 this one. 



The common call of this pair of birds was a pe-ivif, or 

 see-rip, see-rit'. This was given by the female quite fre- 

 quently before and after feeding, the male using it in the 

 same way, but not so frequently. Only once did I hear 

 any other note, and then it was only a little varied. 



The food seemed to a large extent to be large-winged 



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