i88 Bird -Lore 



piece of mosquito-bar. Then I proceeded to individualize the ball 

 of feathers ; one, two, three, to seven were counted without undue 

 surprise, but when an eighth and ninth were added, I marvelled at 

 the energy which had supplied so many mouths with food, and at 

 the same time wondered how many caterpillars had been devoured 

 by this one family of birds. 



Not less remarkable than the number of young — and no book 

 I have consulted records so large- a brood — was their condition. 

 Not only did they all appear lusty, but they seemed to be about 

 equally developed, the slight difference in strength and size which 

 existed being easily attributable to a difference in age, some in- 

 terval, doubtless, having elapsed between the hatching of the first 

 and last egg. 



. This fact would have been of interest had the birds inhabited 

 an open nest, or a nest large enough, for them all to have had an 

 equal opportunity to receive food, but where onl}^ two-thirds of 

 their number could be seen from above at once it seems remark- 

 able, that, one or more failing to receive his share of food — and 

 a very little neglect would have resulted fatally — had not been 

 weakened in consequence and crushed to death by more fortunate 

 members of the brood. Nor was their physical condition the only 

 surprising thing about the members of this Chickadee family ; each 

 individual was as clean as though he had been reared in a nest alone, 

 and an examination of the nest showed that it would have been 

 passed as perfect by the most scrupulous sanitary inspector. It 

 was composed of firmly padded rabbit's fur, and except for the 

 sheaths worn off the growing feathers of the young birds, was ab- 

 solutely clean. Later I observed that the excreta of the 3^oung were 

 enclosed in membranous sacs, which enabled the parents to readily 

 remove them from the nest. 



The last bird having been placed in the net, I attempted to pose 

 them in a row on the perch before their door. The task reminded 

 me of almost forgotten efforts at building card houses which, when 

 nearly completed, would be brought to ruin by an ill-placed card. 

 How many times each Chickadee tumbled or fluttered from his 

 perch I cannot say. The soft, elastic net spread beneath them 

 preserved them from injury, and bird after bird was returned to 

 his place so little worse for his fall that he was quite ready to try 

 it again. On several occasions eight birds were induced to take 

 the positions assigned them, then in assisting the ninth to his 

 allotted place the balance of the birds on either side would be 

 disturbed and down into the net they would go. 



These difficulties, however, could be overcome, but not so the 



