110 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 84. 



pulled into small enough portions to be capable of being swal- 

 lowed by the young, who would take this up from the nest 

 themselves. In no other instances did I ever see them pick 

 up any food themselves until after they were quite large, 

 when they would re-eat the disgorged food that I had made 

 them " cough up." In every case, however, the old bird fed 

 from her throat, with the exception of the moccasins. 



The old birds showed a great deal of intelligence in the 

 feeding of the last hatched chick. They would feed the old- 

 est three in every case three or four portions before they 

 would ever notice the baby. This was no doubt due to the 

 fact that it was unable to assimilate the food in as coarse a 

 stage of digestion as its older brethren and apparently the 

 parents knew this, because when they started to feed the baby 

 they would give him as many meals as he cared to take and 

 ■would never offer to give the older ones any more until an- 

 other visit from the feeding grounds. As the young grew it 

 necessitated many visits to the marshes for food because they 

 were a hungry bunch all the time. I spent usually eight to 

 ten hours a day in the blind photographing and making notes 

 and no day during the four weeks after the young hatched 

 did the parents make less than six trips each with food for the 

 young and they made on some days as high as eleven trips 

 each, the last ones being late, sometimes after dark. These 

 last trips, however, were usually for their own food, as only 

 on three occasions did I ever see the old ones offer to feed 

 the youngsters when returning late. 



Like the White Ibis there are six stages in the life of the 

 young Glossy Ibis. 



First stage, which is usually the first week, they are downy 

 and very sluggish, sleeping most of the time. 



Second stage, usually the whole of the second week they 

 are beginning to feather out and are very alert, beginning 

 towards the last of the week to show fear of man. 



Third stage, during the third week, and with the Glossy, 

 the fourth week is spent in traveling about among the bushes, 

 returning to the nest to be fed. The White Ibis, during the 



