Olive-backed Thrush at Summer Home. 137 



She continued this treatment very rapidly, until the young- 

 became so excited and eager for the caterpillar that when it 

 touched a throat in which the food reaction was just right, it 

 instantly glided out of sight. 



The beaks of the young were much soiled with mud. Pro- 

 bably, some of it came from earthworms as I noticed the birds 

 feeding them to the young in both nests. Aside from this. 

 the young and the nest were immaculate. 



The parent birds called to the young constantly when they 

 were removed from the nest so that I found it almost impos- 

 sible to take their weights or measurements. The muscles of 

 the nestlings were so strong that they drew themselves up into 

 the sitting posture, and were apparently uncomfortable when 

 obliged to assume any other position. After this day their 

 body measurements were far from satisfactory. 



The end of the sixth day. One bird pecked slightly at his 

 pin feathers and quills, but there were no loose casings as yet. 

 Another snapped his beak as if at an insect. The tips of the 

 •quills were lighter as they are before the feathers begin to pro- 

 trude. This was the closing day of the quill stage. 



The end of the seventh day. All the birds had speckled 

 heads. No. 1 walked readily on my lap, without spreading 

 his wings to balance himself, leaped from the tray, looked 

 into my face in an interested way, fell from a stool and 

 alighted on his feet, twittered a great deal, gave the food 

 reaction, and a chirp of alarm. The excrement of the older 

 birds began to resemble that of the more mature bird. No. 

 1 and No. 3 preened a great deal. No. 3 not at all ; and No. 

 4 was still in the quill stage. No 3 had very few feathers, 

 but he did have a few. 



The end of the eighth day. One bird winnowed the air with 

 his wings, and scratched his ear with his toe ; the birds gave 

 the food reaction out of the nest. I had much difficulty in re- 

 turning the two larger birds to their cradle. 



The end of the ninth day. All the birds have speckled 

 heads. The birds that hatched last have been much more 

 active than those that came from the &gg first. They have 



