Minute Observations on Catbirds. 



passes rapidly to a branch, and spreading and pumping the tail pauses in an attitude 

 of attention before making another movement. 



Both birds now began to bring an abundance of insects and fruit, as if making up for 

 lost time. The female came with two 

 cherries in her bill and promptly gave 

 one to each of the two birds. Then 

 a grasshopper was served, and still 

 again a dragon-fly, with blue body 

 and spotted wings (the Libellula 

 pulchella). The insect was swallowed 

 wings and all, but only after pro- 

 longed efforts. As confidence was 

 gradually regained, the birds would 

 remain longer and longer at the nest, 

 pick the young all over, and clean 

 everything with care and delibera- 

 tion. 



At this time (July 23d) the young 

 were about eight days old, and could 

 be easily approached. Two days later 

 when their nest was touched, they 

 tumbled out in an instant, disappear- 

 ing as if by magic amid the leaves. 

 I succeeded in finding one of them, 

 but it refused to remain in the old 

 nest. Its wing-quills now showed a 

 half inch of the feather-shaft, which 

 represented two days' growth, while 

 the tail feathers were still in the stub- 

 brush stage. 



There were four young in the 

 second nest, which was discovered in 

 some bushes close to the river bank 

 on the nineteenth of June. It rested in the crotch formed by the crossing of shoots of 

 the dogwood and alder. The young were in pin-feathers, but not a tube had burst. Both 

 old birds happened to be off foraging, but quickly returned with food in their mouths, 

 and began to alarm the neighborhood. 



The tent was pitched in front of this nest at eight o'clock on the morning of June 23d. 

 After it was closed both birds began their cautious explorations in the vicinity, tschaying 

 incessantly and with nerve-rasping vehemence. A male Redwing Blackbird was soon 

 attracted to the spot, and added his note of alarm to the general outcry, but after finding 

 that the matter did not concern him, returned to his nest in the flags farther away. 



In twenty minutes the Catbirds had become more quiet, and began to pay close 

 attention to the tent. The Redwing was heard con-quer-eeing in the distance. Song 

 Sparrows were singing merrily. Veeries called from the woods close at hand, and the 



Fig. 67. Female Catbird inspecting after having fed the young. 



