IOWA STUDIES IN NATURAL HISTORY 



peared to be contained within this gelatinous sac during the 

 entire time that the young were in the nest. 



TABLE II— August 1 



pid. larva 



General Remarks on Tahle II 



Observations were made on this date only between the hours 

 of 9 :00 and 11 :18 a. m. during which period the young were fed 

 ten times. 



From what the writer saw on this and subsequent occasions 

 he is led to the belief that the parent birds, both of whom fed 

 the young and removed the excreta, exercised very little choice 

 or discrimination in selecting a certain nestling to receive what- 

 ever food was brought. One nestling might receive food two 

 or three times in succession, while another might have to go 

 hungry for as many visits. 



During the first days of feeding the nestlings both parents 

 announced their arrival in the vicinity by a low trill or chirp. 

 Invariably upon hearing this note the mouths of all the young- 

 sters were opened widely. The female ordinarily alighted 

 about five feet from the nest, surveyed the situation for an in- 

 stant, then ran toward the waiting young. The male usually 

 arrived at or very near the nest with a considerable flutter of 

 wings. 



The hairy lepidopterous larva fed at 11:36 was an unusual 



