NORTH AMERICAN MARSH BIRDS 77 



For the next hour they sat contentedly on the shady side of the nest, occasionally 

 dipping the tip of the beak into the water but never drinking anything. In the 

 next half hour they began to grow uneasy and to keep watch for the parent. 

 Every blackbird that flew above the nest caused each head to rise to its full 

 height and silently watch his flight across their horizon. At times they seized 

 each others' beaks in the same manner as the parent's was held. At other times 

 they seized the reed stems crosswise and pulled vigorously on them, sometimes 

 working the mandibles as if chewing. This continued until the return of the 

 parent, when all would assemble on one side of the nest and watch her approach 

 through the reeds. No sanitary measures were noted, and the nest became a 

 rather unpleasant smelling place Ijefore our work was finished. At 9.55 a. m. I 

 heard the flapping of heavy wings and the female settled down into the rushes 

 about 20 feet from the nest. She consumed 10 minutes in covering that distance 

 advancing a few steps and then remaining motionless for a time. When only 4 

 or 5 feet away, she stopped for five minutes, remaining, as far as I could see, 

 absolutely motionless, and then, apparently satisfied, stepped up to the nest. 

 She progressed by grasping the upright stems of the aquatic plants and when 

 she stopped to listen looked as though she were on stilts. As soon as she reached 

 the nest, the yovmg commenced jumping at her beak, continuing this until one 

 succeeded in seizing it in his beak at right angles to the base. A series of inde- 

 scribable contortions followed, the head of the female being thrown jerkily in all 

 directions and the muscles of the neck working convulsively. Finally her head and 

 neck were placed flat on the nest for several seconds and then slowly raised 

 again. As it came up the food came slowly up the throat into the mouth. As 

 the food passed along the beak, the open beak of the young bird followed its 

 course along until it slid into its mouth and was quickly swallowed. The 

 young one then released his hold and the parent stood with the muscles of the neck 

 twitching and jerking. The remaining young kept jumping at the beak until 

 one secured a hold on it, when the process was repeated. By 10.30 all five of 

 the brood had been fed. Each one after receiving the food staggered across the 

 nest and lay down with the head and neck flat on the weeds and rjsmained in 

 this position for sometime before showing any signs of life again. 



He says further : 



An observation made in 1910 may be of some interest in this connection. 

 While a piece of wild hay was being cut a nest of this species was uncovered and 

 four of the five young were killed before the team could be stopped. A small 

 patch of hay was left standing about the nest and the young one placed in it. 

 At this time he was fully feathered out but was unable to fly. The next day 

 the parent was noted flying into the patch of hay without anything in her beak. 

 After she left I walked over and approached the young one, who immediately 

 started to run. Seeing that he could not escape, he stopped and disgorged the 

 contents of his stomach, An examination showed one garter snake about six- 

 teen inches long, a meadow mouse and three crayfish, all partially digested. 

 This observation seemed to prove that at this age the young were still being 

 fed by regurgitation. 



The following observation by Dr. Charles W. Townsend (1905) is 

 of interest: 



On June 26, 1904, while looking for sharp-tailed sparrows in a salt marsh 

 reached only by the high s[)ring and fall tides, I started a bittern that flew off 

 with a complaining and frequently repeated quacking croak. Soon ^fter I be- 

 came conscious that a series of four stakes, projecting above the grass, was in 



