Home Life of the Brown Thrasher. 93 



twenty-four hours after Green left, and about fifteen hours 

 after Orange left. Blue, during the time the others were in 

 the nest, received the least attention ; the excreta being re- 

 moved from him only twenty times up to the time of Green's 

 departure. White received the most attention, thirty-four 

 times in the same period, while Orange was attended twenty- 

 one times. 



Departure of the Young. 



At about noon, June 28, the young birds became very rest- 

 less, especially Green and Orange. They were continually 

 crawling out of the nest and back again. At 12 :30 p. m. 

 Green crawled out of the nest and sat chirping for a short 

 time. He then spread his wings and made an attempt to 

 fly, but only succeeded in going a few inches. Immediately 

 on falling he commenced to hop rapidly away ; stopping a 

 short in+erval at a fence about ten feet distant. One of the 

 old birds returned at this time and coaxed him along until he 

 reached the top of a little hill some sixty yards away. Here 

 he stayed for some time, being fed at intervals by the old 

 birds. One of the parents was with him most of the time 

 from now on. From the time he left until 2 :40 the female 

 never visited the nest, and ^^hen she returned, the male went 

 away and came back only once the rest of the afternoon. 



At 2:10, Orange left the nest in much the same way. The 

 male went with him and by coaxing him a short way at a 

 time soon had the second nestling on the little knoll occupied 

 by Green. The male busied himself the rest of the day car- 

 ing for these two while the female fed White and Blue in 

 the nest. 



The next morning White started away at 7 :07 and was 

 coaxed along by the female for about thirty yards. Blue re- 

 mained alone in the nest until 7 :45, being fed only once in 

 the interval, though White was fed three times. 7 :45 Blue 

 left the nest, but no parent bird returned to aid in the journey 

 as long as the observations were continued. At S :15, when 

 the observations ceased, Blue was still alone in the grass. 



