LIFE HISTORY OF THE QUETZAL—SKUTCH 283 
uncovered in that inclement weather, and by day she fed them less 
and less. In nearly 5 hours on their seventeenth day she came only 
thrice with food. On two of these occasions, she waited dully in the 
pord (Erythrina) tree in front of the nest, holding the morsel in her 
bill, until her mate arrived with food, and only then, as though stimu- 
lated by his example, did she go to the nest to deliver what she had 
brought. Even the preceding day, she had delayed nearly an hour, 
holding a green fruit until the arrival of the male caused her to take it 
into the nest. After this, I did not again see her in the vicinity. 
To the male quetzal, then, fell the whole duty of attending the two 
nestlings during their last 5 or 6 days in the low hole. With his 
plumage showing unmistakable signs of his strenuous activities and the 
long feathers of his train broken off short, he was indeed an Apollo in 
the service of King Admetus. He no longer brooded; but the young 
birds’ cloak of feathers made this unnecessary now. Nor did he clean 
out the nest. As a result the growing accumulation of big, regur- 
gitated seeds and other waste matter slowly raised the level of the 
floor and the little quetzals stood each day higher in the nursery, nearer 
the doorway, where it was easier for them to reach up for their food. 
From the first, the male quetzal had been a constant provider of 
food at this nest. Still, he did not feed very often; infrequent feed- 
ings are the rule among trogons. On the nestlings’ seventeenth 
morning, he fed the two seven times during 434 hours. Sometimes 
he would bring one article of food in his bill, pass this to a nestling, 
then return to a convenient perch and regurgitate a fruit, which in 
turn was taken to the nest. The preceding day, for the first time, I 
had seen the parents pass food to the nestlings through the doorway 
without themselves going in. Now they regularly (the mother until 
she ceased to feed) delivered the meals while they clung in front of 
the entrance (see pl. 3) and did not pass through it unless the nest- 
lings were very sluggish about taking nourishment. When hungry, 
the young jumped or climbed to the doorway, where from in front I 
could glimpse them momentarily at the instant when_they were fed. 
Their higher floor, as well as their increased size and strength, made 
this feat possible. The little birds now uttered low, soft whistles as 
they awaited their meals. 
On the nineteenth day I again watched this nest for 3 hours. 
From 6 to 9 o’clock the male made only seven separate visits to the 
vicinity of the nest. But on three occasions he rested in a neighboring 
tree after he had delivered the article he brought in his bill, there 
regurgitated a fruit, then went to the nest to deliver this, making 10 
feedings in all. This was not many, but he brought each time such 
substantial portions, always big fruits and frequently lizards, that 
the young appetites were soon satisfied. Already at half-past seven 
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