236 The Nesting of the Branibling. 



I climbed on to the top of the aviary to peep into the nest 

 on July iJtli, and found only one young' one remaining, it was 

 feathering nicely and appeared to be strong and healthy, but on 

 the 15th a Guan flew rather clumsily upwards, struck the wire 

 near the nest, and frightened the young Brambling out. It flut- 

 tered to the foot of the tree without injury, but it either could 

 not or would not perch. The hen tried most anxiously to per- 

 suade it to perch in the bushes, but it remained on the ground 

 until the 17th, when torrents of rain fell, and I picked it up, satu- 

 ratd with water, and completely exhausted. It revived a little 

 when warmed, but soon collapsed again, and the hen abandoned 

 it. 



The young bird resembles the hen in plumage. The top 

 of the head is mottled grey and black; back brown; middle of 

 lower back white; throat and chest sandy-rufous; remainder of 

 underparts white; tips of wing-coverts sandy, forming two wing 

 bars. 



No further attempts were made to nest that sunnner, both 

 birds falling into moult shortly after the last young one died. 



On June 8th, 1916, the hen commenced to build on the 

 identical site she chose the previous year for her nest. The nest 

 was completed on the 12th. It was built largely of cotton wad- 

 ding, but other materials were more freely used than w^as the 

 case in 191 5. The first egg was laid on the 14th, and the hen 

 incubated for short periods that day. On June 29th I found that 

 three eggs were hatched and in the nest were two others, which 

 afterwards proved to be infertile. 



These three young ones grew and thrived wonderfully. 

 They all left the nest on July 12th. and could fly and perch witli 

 ea.S!', 



The cock was quite as devoted to his offspring as the hen 

 herself, and hunted incessantly for insects to give them. I gave 

 them their liberty last spring. 



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