THE OOLOGIST. 



135 



parasites and I have observed the habit 

 in the Grass Finch as the little fellow 

 wallowed in the dusty ruts in the high- 

 way. But the Pewee and Swallows do 

 not follow this method of riddance and 

 are sadly afflicted. Some birds as the 

 owls and larger hawks are invested 

 with a large fly which burrows in the 

 plumage. All of these parasites are 

 persistent attendants on the birds 

 which they have adopted, and no one 

 need be in fear that the midges, mites, 

 etc . will leave their choice and attach 

 themselves to human investigators. 

 "For all tbe jumpers and flyers will re- 

 turn to the bird of their choice, after 

 the manner of the flea to the dog and 

 tick to the sheep, for all parasites have 

 their preferences, and that it is well- 

 founded is fortunate for us. Not rare- 

 ly insects invade bird's nests and de- 

 vour the young. It would seem that 

 tho old birds might stop the onslaught, 

 but in most instances they appear help- 

 less and are often driven out them- 

 selves. In examining a Chickadee's 

 nest I accidently broke into an ant's 

 nest and thereby exposed the young to 

 an attack of these little pirates. The 

 old Chickadees seemed helpless, and 

 when a return was made to the nest the 

 young were all dead and one was half 

 carried away. There are very few 

 birds that eat ants in this neighborhood 

 and most of the birds, aside from the 

 Woodpeckers, will ignore them as food. 

 I have seen the Chipping Sparrow, as 

 well as the imported, hopping all 

 about among the ants on the sidewalk 

 and lawn and not one was touched. 



Occasionally a cock bird will rear a 

 brood of young after the female is 

 killed, and I presume that this occurs 

 oftener than is generally believed. It 

 is well known that the cock of the 

 barnyard will sometimes take care of a 

 brood of chickens, and I have seen a 

 gobbler caring for a flock of young 

 turkeys, and it is fair to suppose that 

 the wild birds are equally or more at- 



tached to their offspring. Two in- 

 stances in which the female was re- 

 moved and where the male undertook 

 the care of the family have met my no- 

 tice; one in the case of the Robin and 

 once with the Song Sparrow. In no 

 case have I found where the male has 

 incubated and hatched the eggs alone 

 and I doubt if this is ever the case. 

 Generally if the nestlings are very 

 young when the mother is removed, 

 the male will leave the young to their 

 fate, and it is only in these cases where 

 the young are advanced in growth that 

 the father attempts to carry them 

 through. It is a common occurrence, I 

 might say the rule, that the male takes 

 almost the entire care of the youEg 

 after they have been out of the nest for 

 a week or more; that is the first brood. 

 Almost as soon as the brood is out of 

 the nest the pair make preparations for 

 another brood, and with this in view 

 another nest is quickly prepared, for 

 the Robin and all other birds rarely 

 rear two successive broods in the same 

 nest. The mother bird does most of 

 the work, and I have frequently seen 

 the male taking entire care of the 

 chirping brood while the mother was 

 carrying materials for the second home. 

 I have seen the male feeding and teach- 

 ing the brood while the mother was 

 looking on from her elevated perch, as 

 she sat upon the eggs. 



Many unobservant persons suppose 

 that most birds rear two and three broods 

 in a season, whereas I do not think 

 that any species has been proven to be 

 an annual raiser of three broods, while 

 the birds that rear two broods are not 

 as many as is credited. It may be that 

 the familiar Robin occasionally rears 

 three broods, though I have never seen 

 it proven, nor have I seen it proven 

 that any species of birds of the Great 

 Lake region raises three broods. The 

 imported sparrow may sometimes rear 

 three broods, and it is credited with 

 four or five broo is, but I do not think 



