74 



THE CONDOR 



Vol.. X 



the rim of the shallow nest. Their eyes were dark and their mouths a dull yellow. 

 When the old birds brought food the young set up a harsh, hoarse call; a sort of 

 "scrat," as if something grated. 



On the afternoon of this same day the male Phainopepla came into a tree near 

 the nest, carrying a white substance about the size of a bean. What it was I could 

 not tell. The female saw him and flew into his tree. Her mate bristled up and 

 as she made a dive at him in an effort to get the morsel he carried, he evaded her 

 and left the tree; nor did he bring it to the nest while I watched. 



When the young were twelve days old, I first saw them beg for food. On 

 this day, also, they were seen to preen their feathers. Two days later they sat 

 well up in the nest. Their crests were well started being, perhaps, one third 

 their natural hight. As one of them preened his feathers his wing was out- 

 stretched and a light patch was plainly visible on it. The youngsters were, for 

 the most part, quiet, dignified little fellows, but they opened orange lined mouths 

 and begged with a harsh pur- 

 ring noise when the old ones 

 were about. 



My record for June 18th, 

 reads: 9:30, young alone; 

 9:45, female fed several times, 

 and left; 10:05, female fed; 

 10:15, female fed each bird 

 two or three times, bringing 

 food from the throat as at 

 first. Male singing near by; 

 young roused up, twntched 

 short tails, and cried "scrat." 

 10:25, male fed each bird sev- 

 eral times what looked like 

 nightshade; 10: 2 5, female came 

 to nest but did not feed tho 

 young begged; 10:50, female 

 fed; 10:58, male fed. 



Not until nineteen days 

 after I had seen the old birds 



feed them did the young leave the nest. At eleven A. M., June 23d, while I watched 

 at the nest, one young bird hopped out onto the limb about a foot from the nest, paused 

 a moment, then flew about four feet higher up. In less than a minute the other bird 

 followed his mate up into the tree, both birds keeping up the harsh call. At 11:15 

 the female came to the empty nest, paused there a moment, then flew up to one of 

 the birds and fed it. Her mate fed the other one in two minutes. In color the 

 young birds resembled their mother; in size they were more like a cedar w^axwing. 

 Their eyes were dark, not red like the adults. 



Shortly after seven o'clock that night I went over to the pepper tree thinking 

 I would see if they were anywhere about. To my astonishment I found them back 

 in the nest. In the short time in which I watched them that night the male came 

 and fed them twice. 



The next morning at 7:15 I was at the tree. One young bird was still in the 

 nest, the other was about five feet higher up in the tree. While I watched the 

 female came and fed the young in the nest twice, then the other one twice, and 



NEST OF PHAINOPEPLA ON SYCAMORE BOUGH 



