I04 FEEDING HABITS OF THE CHIPPING SPARROW 



7 :oo — Both birds returned at the same time. The object carried by 

 the male was too small to be identified, while the female 

 had a large, green caterpillar, apparently a noctuid larva. 

 This larva was so large that the nestling could not swallow 

 it without assistance from the parent. When the mother 

 came to the nest, the larva was held in the bill transversely. 

 Before it was given to the nestling the larva was turned 

 around so that it ran lengthwise of the bill. 



7 :i4 — One parent brought a dark-colored caterpillar and carried away 

 excrement. 



7 :i5 — One bird, thought to be the male, has been on a small poplar 

 tree near the nest for the last minute with something in its 

 bill. It has just flown to the tiny cedar shrub near by, 

 then to the tree in which the nest is placed, and back to 

 the poplar at once. 



7 :i7 — -The bird in the poplar flew to the nest and fed young. The 

 other parent made a flying visit to the poplar and flew away. 



7 :22 — -One old bird appeared with a large caterpillar, alighting on 

 the poplar a moment before flying to the nest to give it to 

 a nestling. 



7 :39 — -One bird brought a rather lai'ge, grey caterpillar and carried 

 away excrement. 



7 :44 — Both birds returned at once, the male with a large larva, 

 apparently a noctuid (the group to which the cutworms 

 belong). 



7 :52 — One parent brought a large, greyish caterpillar. 



7:56 — One bird, thought to be the male, returned with food and 

 carried away excrement. 



7 -.58 — Parent returned with a worm, fed, carried away excrement. 



8 :05 — One parent returned with a small insect, fed, and flew away. 

 8 :o9 — Parent returned with food, then flew away. 



8 :i2 — One parent returned, fed, and flew away. 



8 :i7 — One parent returned, fed, and flew away. 



8 :24 — One bird returned to the small poplar tree with a larva, 

 apparently a noctuid, in its mouth. It seemed afraid to 

 go to the nest and remained in the poplar four minutes. 

 Then the other parent returned to the poplar with a worm, 

 looked around a moment, flew to the nest, fed the worm 

 to one of the nestlings, and flew away Meanwhile, the 

 other adult swallowed its vvorm and flew off" without visiting 

 the nest. 



8 :39 -One old bird visited the tree in which the nest was for a 



moment and then flew away without feeding the young. 



8 :40 — Both parents came at once and fed ; one, supposed to be the 

 male, carried away excrement. 



8:43 — O"^ ol*^ ^'^'^' apparently the mother, brought a small, dark 

 brown caterpillar, which was fed to a nestling, and carried 

 away excrement. 



8:44^0ne bird (the male[?]) brought small objects, fed, and flew 

 away. 



