412 McClintock, a Hermit Thrush Study. [qc,^ 



Many times it was impossible to detect the kind of food given 

 to the young. 1 noted the following facts regarding this question : 

 On August 3, a grasshopper was fed to the young on two occasions, 

 and in both instances, the insect was divided between two nest- 

 lings. Twice a brown moth was fed to a single bird. That at 

 least one of these moths was fed intact was demonstrated when 

 the parent, in the act of transferring it to the young's mouth, 

 dropped the moth within the nest, about which it fluttered until 

 recaptured. On two occasions green caterpillars were given; 

 at other times bunches of indistinguishable insects. This animal 

 diet was occasionally varied by red wintergreen berries, which 

 I saw given three times on August 3. 



All food was, apparently, gathered within a very short radius 

 of the nest, the parents, I should say, seldom being more than 

 fifty feet distant. 



Sanitation. 



During my watch of three hours and twenty-two minutes on 

 August 3, the young made their excrement ten times, which is 

 approximately one fifth of the number of individual feedings. 

 On August 4, four excrements were made in one and one half 

 hours, which was also about one fifth of the feedings. On August 5, 

 however, this ratio increased to one third, when there were ten 

 excrements to about thirty feedings, during three hours and 

 twenty-five minutes. 



No nestling ever made its excrement, except immediately after 

 being fed. After a parent had delivered food, it would remain 

 for a few seconds by the nest to see whether a little bird showed a 

 desire to make its excrement. If it indicated this desire, the 

 parent Avith head lowered stood behind the nestling and received 

 the excrement in its bill, before the former fell. To facilitate the 

 handling of the excrement by the parents, the young generally 

 bowed their bodies in the shape of a U, which brought both the 

 head and the vent on a level with the rim of the nest. Twice, 

 however, instead of assuming this position, I saw a nestling appar- 

 ently stand on its head when voiding its excrement. Three times, 

 during my days of watching, a parent was frightened away before 



