M> Bragtoi d . i s \.\1\\ 



which egg was hatched lirst. I > 1 1 1 each effort, except one, was .1 

 failure because the pencil marks became blurred or effaced 03 the 

 rolling of th<< eggs in the nest aa the setting female moved about 

 rhis method of investigation, l\\ marking t l»o eggs, has not been 

 pushed as far as might have been possible, because of the fear of 

 breaking the eggs, which accident happened once in the earlj at 

 tempts at marking Fhe writer has also been unable to determine 

 whether t ho largest or tin* smallest egg hatched first, or whether 

 the site of the egg bore am relation to the length of incubation 

 In the single exception mentioned above, the egg laid first, hatched 

 It is possible that tin • laid, could be colored by ana 



line >1> i v s and thus be distinguishable one from the other; but this 

 method was not used through the fear that the «1\ es might be detri- 

 mental to the development oi the eggs Onl$ once, during five 

 ematic observation on 68 nests, haveempt) egg shells 

 been found in a nest, an observation which mi iahl) be held 



to show that the old birds remove the empt^ egg shells, as tlu\\ do 

 the fecal sacs during the first days after the eggs are hatched, 

 l'w each summer, ami. on one occasion 



at least, three wt - raised l\\ the same female, 

 The record of this particular female is interesting: the firs 



of brood No l was laul Ma\ I I. of Imv. \ I, ami of 



V- I, i;:!\ Q In brood No, l there were five eggs, in bn 

 \ our eggs, ami in brood No 3, three eggs, this diminuendo 



scale meaning, perhaps, a gradual slowing ..man em 



x. 1* was infertile, seven were 



hatched successfully, and the nestlings left the nest in due seas 

 and though the four of the second batched illy, 



Rnglish > ov • raided the nest, and killed all the nestlings when 

 tho\ were two da\ s old It is highly prohahle that this female « as 

 stimulate *ea third h theeaHj loss of the second one, 



[NPEWrtl 



ul total s 



1 stab- 

 lish a certain ex infertility, am wr consid- 



ered as -tl\ such as could, such 





