2 76 Kennard on Young Red-shouldered Ha-wks. lOct 



Both Bute and Topsy were very quiet at first, Topsy particu- 

 larly so, but Pete was both active and noisy, and gave me a fair 

 idea of what he was going to turn out to be. 



June 15 I was surprised in the afternoon to find Bute seated 

 upon the edge of his box philosophically considering the landscape 

 outside his window. How he managed to get there I do not know, 

 for though the oldest and strongest of the three, he was still 

 too weak to stand more than a minute at a time. I then concluded 

 to take them out of the box, both because Bute could climb out 

 of the box himself, and also because the box was fast becoming 

 very dirty, on account of their copious evacuations which were 

 kept about them by the high sides of their box. So instead of a 

 box, I made them a nest of hay, on the shelf, which would allow 

 of their getting up and walking around, and which was more 

 cleanly and airy. 



Their method of evacuating was most interesting, showing as 

 it did, their manner of keeping their nest comparatively clean 

 without aid from their parents. 



They would invariably turn their heads towards the centre of 

 their nest, and, elevating their tail ends, would project their 

 droppings with a forcible and audible sound, several feet away 

 from the nest. I measured the distance to several that had fallen 

 on their shelf over four feet from their owner, and some on the 

 floor, which was eighteen inches below the shelf, were over six 

 feet from the edge of the nest. 



As the birds grew older, and were able to sit upon their perches, 

 their evacuations became less forcible, less frequent, and less 

 copious. 



On June 16 I concluded to feed them but twice a day, instead 

 of three times, as they were often obstinate about taking their food 

 and required stuffing, and I judged that a little wholesome hunger 

 might do them good. 



They had, in the last four days, not only grown feathers so 

 fast that you could almost see them grow, but they had also become 

 much stronger on their feet, and livelier generally. Bute, as may 

 be seen by the diagram, was almost covered with feathers, and 

 Topsy and Pete were following along just two days behind rela- 

 tively as to their growth and plumage. It was at this time that 

 Bute grew the fastest, while Topsy and Pete reached their 



