8o 



Bird -Lore 



is bad; they are thin and flimsy and the first to suffer from the violent 

 winds that at times pass over the group. 



Within a week after the arrival of the birds the first eggs are to be 

 found. Last year the counts were as follows: May 8, one; May 9, five; 

 May 10, ten; May 11, twenty-three; May 12, thirty-seven new eggs. 

 The counts were now abandoned, as one was liable to overlook an egg 

 and include it in the enumeration of a following day. 



The eggs require from thirty-five to thirty-six days to hatch. These 

 figures are given upon only seventeen counts, but in that number the period 

 was a constant one, apparently. The majority of the young are a dull 



YOUNG NODDY CALLING FOR FOOD 



black, unmarked; a few, however, have white blotches on back and 

 wings, while less than one per cent are almost pure white. 



The female (presumably) broods the eggs nearly constantly, only fish- 

 ing a little in the early weeks of incubation. Toward the end of this 

 period all food is brought by her mate. 



The male (presumably) flies to sea many miles and returns with a 

 crop full of sardines. Then he perches on the edge of the nest and the 

 female takes hold of his bill and gives his head a rather violent shaking 

 for a second or so. This seems to act as a stimulus to him to disgorge, 

 and the food coming up will be eagerly picked from the back part of his 

 throat by the female and devoured. At other times the entire contents 



