Gnatcatcher WESTERN BIRDS 



There were three young and the parents were busily 

 feeding. The two adults were alike in coloring, no black 

 malar stripe showing on the male to help us designate 

 him. However, one bird, which my companion and my- 

 self decided was the female, had a new outer tail feather 

 coming in on one side, so that we easily told the two 

 apart. 



These Gnatcatchers had a queer way of approaching 

 the nest. Never did they fly right to it, but always 

 they first came into a near-by holly and, after flying 

 about in the branches, flew across the short intervening 

 space to the nest. 



In the first three hours in which we watched them 

 on July 9th, the birds fed fifty-four times, an average 

 of three and one-half minutes apart. The shortest inter- 

 val was one-half minute, the longest nine, the male feed- 

 ing about twice as often as the female. Several times 

 they both came at once and it was amusing to see them 

 hurry to reach the nest. It was quite evident that the 

 male had no idea of letting his mate feed first, but with 

 a grand scramble and mad rush through holly tree, both 

 birds rushed for the nest, and usually reached it at the 

 same time and fed together. 



About ten o'clock the sun began to beat down upon 

 the nest. I knew how hot it was, for I had for some 

 time been slipping along on my stone seat in order to 

 avoid it. Presently, when the father came, he took in 

 the situation for, having fed, he slipped onto the nest 

 and sat lightly above his skinny offspring. For five 

 minutes he shielded them before the female came and 

 took her turn, shading them with outstretched wings. 

 During the eleven minutes in which the female stayed 

 on the nest, the male came three times with food for her, 

 which she, in turn, fed to the nestlings beneath her. In 

 the hour in which the sun beat down upon the nest the 

 male shielded the young four times. Usually he left 



356 



