134 Kansas Academy of Science. 



some distance away, the robins and catbirds still pursuing. 

 On the sidewalk, under the little tree where the robins had 

 their nest, was part of the shell of a robin's egg and a mangled 

 embryo bird that had been torn out of it. I examined the 

 robin's nest and found nothing in it except part of a broken 

 egg-shell. 



The catbirds above mentioned had their nest in a small 

 catalpa tree about thirty yards from the house. There were 

 four young birds in the nest. They were not disturbed at this 

 time. A few days later, just at noon time, the boys came run- 

 ning to the house shouting that the jays were fighting the cat- 

 birds. We hastened to the scene of disturbance just in time 

 to see a jay fly from a spot several yards beyond the catalpa 

 tree. When we reached the place we found one of the young 

 catbirds, nearly full grown, with its head and back so badly 

 picked that it soon died. An examination of the nest showed 

 only two birds remaining, which went to show that this was 

 not the first attack that had been made on the young in the 

 nest. A few days later, while I was at the University, the 

 small boys saw a jay on a limb of the catalpa tree picking one 

 of the young catbirds. Lindsay took a gun and killed the jay, 

 a thing he had begged me to let him do on the occasion of the 

 first robbery and murder we had witnessed m the catbird 

 family. On my return home I examined the catbird's nest. 

 It had but one bird left in it and that one was so badly picked 

 that it was dead the next morning. 



June 18, 1905, Lindsay and George saw a jay bird fighting 

 a young catbird that was large enough to fly from one bush 

 to another. Lindsay ran after his gun and returned as soon 

 as possible, to find, however, that the jay had the catbird 

 killed. He shot the jay. I dissected the bird and found 

 feathers and mulberries in its stomach. 



May 19, 1907, the boys, who were playing in the yard, 

 called to me that a jay was fighting the robins in an old apple 

 tree near the wood-house. I hastened to the spot. The jay 

 did not leave the tree until I threw a stone at it. I found a 

 half-grown robin on the ground under the tree with a gash 

 an inch long in its side and neck. George, my youngest boy, 

 climbed the tree and put the wounded robin in the nest with 

 its three brothers and sisters. 



May 21, George brought me a young dead robin with its 

 head picked and a hole in its side, that he found under the 



