158 FROM BLOM1DON TO SMOKY. 



greeted by more vigorous crying from the young. 

 On the 6th, I visited the nest again and found 

 both old birds feeding the young, which were 

 now much nearer the mouth of the hole. The 

 old birds scolded me on my approach, and the 

 young remained silent for a long time after 

 hearing the warning notes of their parents. 



On Tuesday, July 7, at noon, I raided the nest. 

 The poplar was felled so that its top caught in a 

 tree near by, preventing any shock to the young 

 birds. In spite of the resounding blows of the 

 axe, the old birds continued to come to the nest, 

 and in the intervals of chopping they fed the 

 young. Moisture glistened on their bills, and I 

 was not sure that they brought insects in any 

 instance. One young bird flew before the tree 

 fell, a second took wing as the crash came, but 

 the third remained in the nest until taken out by 

 hand. I named them Number One, Number Two 

 and Number Three, corresponding to the order 

 of their entry into active life. Their coloring 

 varied sufficiently for me to recognize each with 

 certainty after his transfer to a cage, and as weeks 

 passed by they became more and more dissimilar 

 both in coloring and conduct. 



Their cage was an oblong pine box containing 

 about three cubic feet. Its floor was covered with 

 sawdust, its face was closed by fine wire mosquito 

 netting, and apple and alder branches were ar- 



