134 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 211 



have grown considerably, and those of the other tracts begin to break. On the 

 eighth all of the sheaths have broken, and the wing feathers have attained con- 

 siderable length. On the ninth the feathers have grown still further, but do not 

 yet cover all of the bare spaces. The young can fly short distances, however, 

 and can not be kept in the nest if once frightened or removed. If the nest has 

 become polluted, as frequently occurs when it has become greatly compressed 

 by the growing vegetation, they may leave of their own accord on this day. On 

 the tenth the stronger of the young leave and climb to near-by supports. If the 

 nest is approached, all leave, but otherwise the weaker remain until the eleventh 

 day, when all scatter to the vegetation in the immediate vicinity. They all 

 remain in this neighborhood for at least ten days, even after the parents have 

 ceased caring for them and have started a second brood. 



He quotes from F. H. Herrick as follows: "In the space of four 

 hours on the first day * * * fifty-four visits were made and the 

 young were fed forty times. The female brooded her young; over 

 an hour, fed them twenty-nine times, and cleaned the nest thirteen 

 times. The male made eleven visits, attending to sanitary matters 

 but twice. * * * On the following day, * * * in the course of 

 nearly three and one-half hours, 55 visits were made, and the young 

 were fed collectively or singly 43 times. * * * The male bird 

 served food eleven times and attended to sanitary matters once. 

 In the course of forty-two minutes the first young bird to leave the 

 nest was fed eight times, seven times by the mother and once by 

 the father." 



Allen continues: "The principal insects eaten are May flies, caddis 

 flies, and lepidopterous larvae. Generally three or four insects are 

 brought each time, and one delivered to each young. This is not 

 always the case, however, for sometimes the entire mass is given to 

 one bird. There seems to be no order in this distribution, the young 

 bird with the longest neck and widest mouth always getting fed first. 

 The food is delivered well down into the throat of the young, and if 

 not immediately swallowed is removed and given to another." 



Ira N. Gabrielson (1914) listed the following items given to a brood 

 of young redwings during 51 feedings: 12 unidentified items, 11 

 wireworms, 1 cricket, 3 beetles, 2 May flies, 3 other flies, 4 green 

 worms, 20 grasshoppers, 3 moths, 1 spider, 4 tomato worms, and 

 1 measuring worm. 



Wood says in his notes: "Of the 37 nests which were followed 

 through the season, 16 had successful broods; 23 contained 73 eggs, 

 of which 53 hatched (72 percent). From these 73 eggs only 35 full- 

 grown young birds left the nests, a productivity of 48 percent. Two 

 out of 94 eggs were infertile." In his published paper (1938), he 

 writes: "The ability of a nestling redwing to take care of himself was 

 tested. A nestling less than two or three days old would be apt to 

 drown if it should tumble out of the nest. As they grow older they 

 become more able to save themselves. Placed in water, the half- 



