406 



General ATo/rs. [October 



and she thought the Chestnut lost track of" the bird when it Mew to 

 another branch, for he watched where the Redstart went and tried to follow 

 her. After he had been driven back a number of times, be apparently 

 gave up, and disappeared. I came back in time to see the little one go to 

 the ground and caught it and held it, though its poor mother trailed pit- 

 iful lv, wbile Mrs. Miller took notes on its plumage. She found thai ii 

 was ashy on the back and darker on the head; that its throat and breast 

 were ashy, turning to white below. The sides of its breast were slightly 

 washed with yellow, and there were two yellow wing-bars. The beak 

 was light colored, a little darker above than below. The tail was too 

 short to show any color. 



Whether the Chestnut succeeded in following the family after they left 

 the nest, or gave up, discouraged in well doing, we did not determine. 

 We saw the Redstart hunting about in the vicinity of the dead treetop 

 where she took her young, the day after it left the nest, but saw no more 

 of the Chestnut with her. A thousand theories suggest themselves in 

 explanation of this domestic comedy, but of course it is too late to prove 

 any of them. The only thing we felt justified in concluding from the 

 position and character of the nest and the actions of the birds, is that 

 the Redstart rather than the Chestnut-sided Warbler was the original 

 owner of the nest. 



On July 23 Mrs. Miller and I were near the dead treetop watching the 

 family of Black-throated Blue Warblers whose nest we had been looking 

 tor when we came on the scene of cooperative housekeeping nearly three 

 weeks before. As we were going on, I caught sighl of a Chestnut-sided 

 Warbler, and, as it was the first time I had seen one there since the nest 

 had been left, I stopped involuntarily, half conscious of a hope that 1 

 might see more strange sights. The Chestnut went to the ground and 

 following him with my glass, under the jewel weed, I saw a big grayish 

 bird looking for food. In a moment it fluttered its wings and opened its 

 bill and — was fed by the Chestnut! I was dumbfounded. Surely, won- 

 ders never cease ! 



It flew up into the trees after him and chirped as peremptorily as if the 

 Chestnut had always got its meals for it. It was an odd sight to see the 

 little Warbler chasing round for the big baby! He seemed very hard- 

 worked, for besides having a larger capacity than the poor Chestnut was 

 used to. the young bird had full use of its wings and was rarely found 

 twin- on the same branch, so that the little old gentleman bad to whisk 

 round for flies and for his adopted son too. 



The young bird kept so high and clambered over the branches so nim- 

 bly, that we had much ado to make out its markings, but found enough to 

 show that it was neither Chestnut-sided Warbler nor Redstart. When on 

 the ground under the weeds its gray back seemed to have an olivaceous 

 tinge; and when it flew up we could see that its light breast was somewhat 

 streaked, the lines extending back to the flanks, where they were stronger. 

 Its chin was white, and there was a dark line on its cheek. It had a finch 

 bill, two wing-bars, and a long emarginate tail. 



