MixxicH] OBSERVATIONS ON BIRD FAMILIES 25 



of some bird family, is, in itself, of much value. Furthermore, 

 each student observer has gained a new insight into the life and 

 character of some bird, which, merely seeing the bird on field 

 trips, could not possibly have given. 



The data, given in the four following sketches, were col- 

 lected by members of classes, working according to the relay 

 plan. 



The subject of the first study, which was made on May 21, 

 1909, was a family of Downy Woodpeckers. The parents had 

 not chosen a particularly attractive location for their nest. But 

 the weedy, half-deserted, little orchard, with its friendless, old 

 apple trees and low hedge fence, and the large, open, woods 

 across the road, afforded food in abundance. The nest was 

 located about twelve feet from the ground in a dead limb of one 

 of these apple trees. How many young birds it contained, could 

 not be ascertained. Neither could the age of the young be de- 

 termined, but from the noise they made, it is safe to estimate 

 them, at least halfgrown. Observations on the nest began at 4:00 

 •A. M. and continued until 7:21 p. m. At no time, apparently, did 

 the parents take any notice of their observers, but went about 

 their family duties as if no one were present. 



The young w'ere first fed at 4:33 a. m. From this first feed- 

 ing until the last, which occurred late in the evening, a period 

 of about 14i hours, the nestlings were fed on an average of 

 every 6.9 minutes. Often the interval between trips was only a 

 minute. The longest interval, which occurred just before dark, 

 was 47 minutes, the longest prior to that, being 28 minutes. The 

 parent birds visited the nest 124 times, 36 trips being made by 

 the male, and 88 by the female. As in the following studies, 

 several trips are here counted, when the bird visited the nest in 

 the usual manner, and apparently fed, although, it was observed 

 carrying no food. Dividing the day into four-hour periods, the 

 period of greatest activity was from 1-4, when visits to the nest 

 occurred on an average of every 4.9 minutes. Several times, 

 the bird hunted for food on the larger limbs of the tree in which 

 the nest was situated. Usually however, the bird, on leaving the 

 nest, flew directly to the woods across the road. Consequent- 

 ly, the kind or amount of food, fed. could not be ascertained. 

 Twelve times, during the day, refuse material was taking from 

 the nest, the birds carrying it a short distance before dropping 

 it. Three times during the day. the nest was visited bv a Red- 

 Headed Woodpecker, which paused long enough to peer in. be- 

 fore going on. 



