396 TrUBB, A Successful Pair of Robins. [July 



of the time, appears restless. She often picks something from the 



bottom of the nest or from its edge and eats it. It may be that 

 the young are hatched, l>nt 1 see no feeding. 



June 25th. The young are hatched now. This morning their 

 mouths appeared above the rim. Both parents feed; twice seen 

 together at the nest. The female covers young after feeding and 

 often prods aboul in the hot torn oi the nest in what appears to he a 

 careless and dangerous way. 



June 28th. Both parents again feed their young, meeting as 

 before at tin- nest. 



June 29th. Four young are fed often by female parent who 

 each time, picks from the nest and swallows whole, big white saes 

 of excrement. Generally she finds two pieees. The fool consists 

 of earthworms and something green which may he the green worm, 

 the favorite of the Vermivoree. The female covers young for the 

 night at 7: 30, — a dark cloudy evening. 1 suspect that sometimes 

 the male bird collects food and passes it to his mate who carries 

 it to the nest for the young. 



July 1st. The young birds this morning fill the nest level full. 

 They are restless; they toss themselves about in the nest and make 

 attempts, apparently, to preen their feathers. The female covers 

 the young, as best she can. at 7: 35 P. M. 



-Inly 2nd, 7:10 i\ M. The female parent finds a worm on the 

 lawn, and shakes it many times before flying directly to the nest 

 and feeding the young. Now when the parent comes to the nest 

 there is just the faintest sound from the young birds; a little ticking 

 sound, audible only when I am very near. 



The female feeds young, then stands still looking down into the 

 nest with head slightly on one side. One nestling rises and passes a 

 fsecal sac directly into the hill of the parent, who stoops to receive 

 it. At the next visit, this is repeated, hut as two young void at 

 the same time, the parent receives only one sac directly; the other 

 she snaps up from the nest. 



From the deliberate way in which a young bird tilts and then 

 discharges the sac, it seems evident that he understands what 

 his parent expects of him, when she stands at "attention" after 

 feeding. From my room, thirty feet away. 1 can tell at once when 

 the parent arrives at the nest by the "ticking" of the young 

 birds. 



