Vireos Awake and Asleep 107 



mate, acting as her guardian while she quickly went the rounds. 

 The role of the old birds in feeding was almost invariably the 

 same, as I have in part described. They trace a zigzag line to 

 the nest, a straight one from it. ' You hear first their responsive 

 call-notes. The mother "bird with insect ready is in a bush a 

 rod away; then she comes a step nearer, and pauses; her piortf 

 is now more -distinct. She slowly advances, until the twig 

 which holds the nest is touched. Up go the heads of the young; 

 they call aloud, stretch their necks to every side, gaze up to the 



Fig. 62. Placing it well down in a hungry throat. 



clouds and around upon the leaves. Then, as the mother hops 

 nimbly along the twig, and stands over them, what a picture of 

 eager desire, tremulous impatience, and keen rivalry they 

 present! The food is sometimes quickly placed in the throat 

 of one, and as quickly withdrawn, to be given to another, and 

 when there are more than two it may go the rounds before it is 

 allowed to remain, a common practice the true meaning of 

 which we have already seen. 



After inspection is completed and the nest cleaned, the 

 parent bird flies to any convenient spot, carefully wipes the 

 slime from her bill, stretches her wings, and smoothes out all 



