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Bird - Lore 



field-glasses, took his place in the shade to learn some of the ins and outs of the 

 Chipping Sparrows' home-life. The young received their first food on the 

 morning of June 26, and the feeding was repeated about every half hour 

 throughout the day. The food consisted always, as far as could be determined, 

 of small green caterpillars taken from the larch or garden. The next few days 

 were mere repetitions of this one, except that the feeding-periods became far 



more frequent, — one every 

 seven minutes on the average 

 throughout the working day 

 of fifteen hours. Also, larger 

 morsels of food were added to 

 the menu. Sometimes an 

 insect proved to be too large; 

 then it was mauled on a limb 

 or picked to pieces before being 

 returned to the youngsters. 



All seemed to go well until 

 the night of June 29, when a 

 bird tragedy was enacted re- 

 sulting in the death of one of 

 the young. The single remain- 

 ing offspring did not seem to 

 require care of both parents, 

 whereupon the female shirked 

 all responsibility and began 

 the construction of a new nest 

 in the opposite side of the tree. 

 The male was not discouraged 

 in the least, but went about 

 his duties with such renewed 

 vigor that his charge very 

 seldom called for food. Once 

 in a while it clamored for more 

 just as he left after feeding. 

 The female, on the other hand, 

 returned to the first nest very few times, and then without any apparent 

 interest in it. Likewise the male did not interfere with the operations in the 

 opposite side of the tree; but down in the garden, working over the lettuce 

 together, and in various other ways, it was plainly evident that they were 

 still mates. 



The condition now existing in this bird family gave us an unusual oppor- 

 tunity to obtain data on the activities of a single adult and nestling. Conse- 

 quently these two were followed with much interest as long as the young re- 



NEST OF CHIPPING SPARROW 



