1)2 LIFE-HISTORIES OF BIRDS 



awav. At night he may be more considerate and attentive 

 to his mate. 



The female is very affectionate towards her young, and 

 will even risk her own life, in their behalf. Her extreme 

 vigilance is quite wonderful, and the feigned stratagems 

 which she assumes to draw intruders awav from her eggs 

 and young towards herself, are almost unsurpassed among 

 aves, except in the case of Geothlypis trichas. Mr. Wilson 

 on a certain occasion discovered a nest with young. He at 

 once set to work to delineate the young bird. Having ac- 

 complished his object, he departed from the place, and. on 

 missing his pencil, retraced his steps thither, and discovered 

 to his great surprise that the young bird had been spirited 

 away. Her actions on an occasion of disturbance are truly 

 curious. She flutters as if wounded, beats the ground with 

 her wings as though unable to rise, and performs these 

 movements so faithfully and successfully as to deceive the 

 most wary, and even experienced. 



The young leave the nest in about seven days from the time 

 of hatching, and are able to run with considerable swiftness. 

 They utter at brief intervals a low plaintive note, which Xut- 

 tall has expressed by the syllable/**-?^. In less than a fort- 

 night after quitting the nest, they are able to supply them- 

 selves with the necessary articles of diet, although they still 

 continue to associate with the parents. Their food at first 

 consists of caterpillars, which the old birds procure from the 

 branches and foliage of trees. The larvae of Anisopteryx 

 "jcrnata* Zerene catenaria* Anisota rubicunda, Hybcrnia 

 titiaria* Clisiocampa americana, and mature forms of the 

 smaller Noctiddce and Tineidne* among lepidoptera. As 

 they grow older and are sufficiently matured to feed them- 

 selves, they devour immense numbers of Formica sanguined 

 and F. snbte.rranca* among hymenoptera ; and CEdipoda 

 xnlphnrca* CE. iicbulosa* CE. Carolina, among orthoptera. 



The young when hatched are perfectly helpless, and de- 

 pend upon safety, by the close similarity which they bear to 



