208 BULLETIN 2 08, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



11th day: Eyelids were parted but kept closed; eyeballs did not 

 bulge out of surface of head. Premaxillary tomium nearly meeting 

 the mandibular one throughout, so that closed bill showed only slight 

 open space. The maxillary hook thus projected well beyond the 

 lower surface of the mandible. The remiges and rectrices (not out 

 on the ninth day when the body tracts were found to have emerged) 

 were now out, and protruded a little less than 1 mm. Hooks were 

 tested by hand and found to be still fu-mly attached. 



15th day: Hooks and egg- tooth were no longer present. Not a 

 vestige of any connecting tissue or scar was present at the tip of the 

 maxilla, which was absolutely smooth and polished and with a "nor- 

 mal" tip (examined with a hand lens). The tip of the mandible 

 retained an upturned stump, possibly the point of attachment of the 

 lower hook. The tomial edges of the maxilla and mandible were 

 now meeting throughout in the closed bill. The head was still 

 relatively naked but feather sheaths were out although not erupted; 

 all the other tracts were well out, those of the front of the neck and 

 breast most advanced, followed in degi'ee by the flanks; neck and 

 breast uniform green-gray, posterior underparts cream color; the 

 longest primaries 15 mm. long, the rectrices 5 mm. The tubular 

 nostrils were directed forward; the eyelids maintained nearly closed. 

 [In Skead's description the eyes were three-quarters open on the 

 14th day.] 



16th day: Eyelids still had not assumed the circular, completely 

 open form. The nestling was given a test for its reaction to a nest 

 mate. A glossy starling chick was placed beside it in the nest, and 

 the honey-guide gave no reaction at all, even when the young starling 

 lay partly upon it. It merely uttered its low wheezy cry. The 

 young honey-guide voided dung which contained beetle elytra and 

 fruit seeds about 4 mm. long. 



Skead saw a 16-day-old honey-guide in the nest grab and lustily 

 shake the foster parent's wing. 



17th day: Chick "feigned death" when Skead looked into the 

 nest; possibly this was the fu'st fear reaction. It had the feathers 

 out of the quills on the flanks and abdomen, but not on the occiput 

 and nape. 



20th day: The stump on the tip of the mandible (last seen on the 

 16th day) was no longer present, and the tip of the lower bill was now 

 perfect in form. The bird's eyes were open fully, circular, the lids 

 kept open regularly. Length of longest primaries 36 mm.; tail 15 

 mm. The nestling showed a decided dishke at being lightly grasped 

 with the fingers at any point, squeaking, squealing, biting the hand 

 and fingers, and flinching away in jerky moves. 



