130 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



one large, green caterpillar. At 10.02, the male brought 

 a pupa about like the codling moth. At 10.07, the male 

 brought a grasshopper with legs trimmed off. 



While the male was there the female came also with a 

 bunch of spiders' eggs, and, following the male, fed imme- 

 diately. We then removed the glass, and, reaching out, 

 pushed downi the side of the nest so that an attempt could 

 be Jiiade to photograph the young, which were sunk down 

 in the nest quite out of sight from the camera. At this the 

 young made a noise which sounded much like the loud hiss- 

 ing of a snake, but proved to be an attempt of all seven at 

 once to scold in chickadee language. 



This disturbed the old birds, who showed some anxiety, 

 and did not feed again until, at 10.14, the female brought 

 a green caterpillar; at 10.17 a heavy team went by, but 

 the male came again, at 10.19, with a large caterpillar, and 

 again at 10.22 with smaller caterpillars. At this time the 

 largest and most active young bird, Avhich had been quite 

 restless and had several times attempted to reach the en- 

 trance hole, made a dash, and flew, at the first attenq)t, to 

 a maple tree near by ; but failing to alight there, it flut- 

 tered on to a stone heap at the foot of a pine tree some four 

 rods away. In this remarkable feat it no doubt was aided 

 by the strong breeze then blowing. This bird was later 

 captured and returned to the box, but refused to remain, 

 and the second time flew to a pine tree several rods farther 

 off, reaching it in two flights. This diversion somewhat 

 interrupted the regularity of the feeding, as the old birds 

 devoted most of their attention to the young truant. The 

 female came to the nest once at 10.23 with ants, plant lice 

 and a spider, and the male came directly afterward with 

 similar food. At 10.24 the female came again, and at 

 10.241/2 the male came; at 10.281,4, the female; at 10.34, 

 the male. At this time the food, w^hich came in large 

 mouthfuls, consisted mainly of ants and plant lice. At 

 10.36, as I leaned from the window to put in the glass, 

 the mother bird came with her beak full of insect food and 

 alighted at the entrance hole. At this time one hand held 

 the glass, while the other rested on the box. The bird 



