93 [Vol. XX ix. 



daddy-long-legs, and smaller insects were brought 

 as food ; (b) that both birds would approach with 

 food simultaneously and would bring two or three 

 insects of different kinds at the same time ; 

 (c) that on every occasion when the birds settled on 

 their perch one leg was straight and the other bent. 



A series of slides was then exhibited showing that sitting 

 birds are greatly distressed in hot, or even in warm, 

 weather. 



Mr. BiCKBRTON stated that during the course of his 

 watching and photographing he had been struck by the 

 fact that many nesting- and nestling-birds appeared to be 

 greatly distressed by the heat. They gave expression 

 to this distress in various ways : — (1) By panting violently 

 with the mandibles more or less widely extended. (2) By 

 puffing out and sometimes even erecting their feathers to a 

 greater or less extent : sometimes this was done concur- 

 rently with the panting, and at other times quite inde- 

 pendently of it. (3) Occasionally by fanning themselves 

 with their wings. (4) By stretching out their wings to the 

 fullest extent possible, and by keeping them extended for a 

 brief space of time. (5) By pushing out their wings from 

 the sides of the body. (6) By extending or stretching them- 

 selves out lengthways as far as possible. (7) In the case 

 of young birds, by leaving the nest sooner than they other- 

 wise would. 



The slides shown in the subjoined list illustrated all these 

 points. They were divided into three sections. 



(A) Young Birds. 



1, 2. Young Curlew {Numenius arquatus) squatting in 

 the grass and panting with the heat. 



3, 4. Five young Blackcaps {Sylvia atricapilla) (un- 

 fledged) in the nest in a state of collapse from 

 the heat and all panting violently. 



5-9. Three young Reed - Warblers {Acrocephalus 

 streperus) in the nest, all panting ; one had 

 jumped up on the rim of the nest, and 



