56 BULLETIN 197, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



that, as in many other species, the male takes charge of the young after they 

 leave the nest while the female proceeds to build another nest and lay the next 

 set of eggs. The young birds of the first nest were noted with the male as late 

 as August 28, but they were doubtless independent of their parents by that time. 



The day after the nest was found, Mr. Harris set up his blind 21^ feet 

 from the nest, and the next day he entered it for observation. The 

 bird was shy at first but soon became accustomed to the blind and even, 

 the man in it. The birds were supposed to have hatched on or about 

 August 20 or 21 and were watched off and on up to the time that they 

 left the nest on the 31st. The results of his observations on the de- 

 velopment of the young are given in too much detail to be included 

 here ; only a few points can be mentioned. When the nest was found, 

 on the 24th, he estimated that the young were 3 or 4 days old ; their 

 eyelids were separated but incapable of movement ; they kept huddled 

 together in the nest and the sense of fear had not developed ; a small 

 wingless grasshopper was fed to one of them. 



On the 26th, when the blind was occupied for the first time, one of 

 the parents "kept arriving at the nest with food at an average rate of 

 once every four and a half minutes throughout the three hours that I 

 remained in the blind. This bird was presumed to be the female. The 

 other one could be heard circling overhead, uttering the typical pipit 

 ''sgui-gui-quick\ for fifteen minutes after I had entered the blind, there- 

 after it was silent." 



On the 26th, when the young had been hatched 5 or 6 days, "down 

 was becoming scanty, and the ju venal plumage was quickly supplant- 

 ing it. * * * The parent did not brood either on this occasion 

 or at later times. * * * The parent maintained sanitation in the 

 nest by carrying aAvay the faeces in its bill and probably dropping them 

 while in flight. If, however, there were two sacs in the nest at once, 

 one was eaten and the other was carried away. Small sacs were usually 

 eaten." On August 27 and 28, "heavy rains fell, accompanied by 

 strong wind and low temperatures. When examined on the latter day, 

 the birds appeared unharmed by the severe drenching they had re- 

 ceived. Their eyes at this date were fully open." During the next 

 two days, the young became increasingly more active and restless ; and 

 on the 31st the young left the nest. Three had already left when 

 Mr. Harris entered the blind at 10 a. m. ; during the next two hours, 

 the parent came without food several times, as if trying to entice the 

 remaining two young to leave. 



F^inally, at 12.13, one of the two suddenly scrambled out of the nest and 

 crawled away into the grass, boring forward with its bill and picking its way 

 round the thick clumps. After progressing for about three feet, it squatted down 

 to rest. Here the adult, with a grasshopper in its bill, came upon it and fed 

 it. The young one then moved on for another two feet before resting again. 

 At this point the remaining bird left the nest, and the two were now caught 

 and examined for the last time. * * * Tlie young birds were now very 



