186 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 



this one and others very carefully, I could not 

 see that they assisted themselves as a parrot 

 does in climbing with their bills. 

 3.0. The female arrived and fed some of the 

 young in the trees ; one young male and one 

 young hen could fly quite strongly and went a 

 long way to meet her quite thirty or forty 

 yards. 



3.10. The male arrived in the vicinity with 

 prey, but did not come to the nest, and shortly 

 afterwards the female came to the nest with 

 the remains of prey. 



4.15. The female came to the nest evidently 

 after she had fed some of the branchers. The 

 prey brought was what an engineering friend 

 who was trying to stereoscope the nest, de- 

 scribed as "the back axle, differential and 

 torque member of a thrush with the casings 

 removed." I took this away from the babe, 

 as I hoped he would call to his parents for food 

 next time they were in the vicinity. He 

 seemed very annoyed with me ; but, as he did 

 not do as I hoped, I restored the horrid remnant, 

 and the babe set to work on it at once. He 

 certainly evinced no fear of me. (I might add 

 to this that far from shewing fear, the young 

 birds were quite ready to go for my finger, and 

 as they grew up would come across the nest 

 and dab at one's hand. As I had no particular 

 desire to contract septicaemia I took great care 

 that none of them got hold. W.P.C.) 

 4.45. Male fed the young that were out in the 

 trees. 



5.15. Female came, flew round with an un- 

 prepared blackbird in her claws. She settled 

 on a bare branch near at hand, and, with a few 

 deft strokes of her beak, sent feathers floating 



