Two Thrushes 169 



The young were fed and the nest cleaned several times during the day, 

 the excreta being carried several feet away from the nest. In one instance I 

 observed that the mother bird devoured the excrement. The duty of nest- 

 inspection was performed with great promptness. After the nest was inspected, 



HERMIT THRUSH AT NEST 



the bird would fly to a favorite tree, and from here it would go somewhere 

 else in the forest. Sometimes the male bird would give the female a dainty 

 morsel, and she, in turn, would carry it to the nest for the young, while he 

 kept guard at a safe distance. 



On the third day of the observations, the young were fed more frequently, 

 and, consequently, they gave evidence of much growth. They had their eyes 

 about half open and moved about the nest considerably. 



The intervals between feedings were not without incident. It was interest- 

 ing to observe the creeping of sunlight and shadow over the nest, the intense 

 radiant energy from the sun reduced somewhat by the canopy of green. Only 

 for a half -hour was the nest fully exposed. It was at this time that the mother 

 bird brooded over the young. A herd of cows, which were grazing on maple 

 seedlings and thin grass, approached dangerously near the nest, and it became 

 the duty of the observer to direct the movements of one or two members of 

 the herd. Some red squirrels ran along logs and on the forest floor, giving evi- 

 dence of the precarious position of the young birds in the nest. During the 

 morning and afternoon a Red-eyed Vireo charmed the observer with several 

 instalments of his cheerful warble. This song was not so incessant this day as 

 it usually is, for I suspect that he, too, was busy with household cares. The 

 harmony of the forest was broken at times by the harsh cry of the black Crow, 

 that villain who has figured in more than one bird tragedy. 



On the fifth day I again visited the nest, but it was empty. Let us hope that 

 the parent birds had witnessed a successful departure of their young. 



