Nest Life of the Catbird 177 



than White, was favored in the feeding. At every approach 

 of the parent bird with food, he would climb over the other 

 two, and, by reaching further up than they, succeed in get- 

 ting most of the food. From the first day, all three nestlings 

 raised their opened beaks at any slight noise or jarring of 

 the nest. With Blue getting most of the food it was only 

 a question of time before the other two would perish. Brown 

 was the first to succumb. He was fed at 4:35 a. m. on July 

 24 but from that time was totally ignored. For a time he 

 would raise his head, open his mouth, and give the peculiar 

 coaxing call many young birds use, but gradually he grew 

 so weak that this was impossible. He soon lay on the bot- 

 tom of the nest under the others and died before noon. The 

 body was still in the nest at dark but had been removed by 

 4:30 the next morning. It may have been removed at night 

 but it is more probable that it was done before the observer 

 entered the blind that morning. From noon on the twenty- 

 fifth. White was noted to be getting less and less of the food. 

 Blue was at least twice the size of White and, on every ap- 

 proach of the parent, would stretch far up out of the nest 

 with loud cries, at times completely covering him. As Blue 

 received more of the food he became more able to trample 

 over White and crowd him out of place. If White did suc- 

 ceed in getting a favorable position, Blue, on the appearance 

 of the female, would climb over him pushing him into the 

 bottom of the nest. On the twenty-seventh he was fed only 

 twice: once, at 5:00 in the morning; once, at 7:11 p. m. On 

 the morning of the twenty-eighth an unsuccessful attempt 

 was made to force the feeding of White by removing Blue 

 from the nest. The female immediately tried to feed him 

 but brought insects too large to be swallowed. Blue was 

 finally replaced in the nest and instantly commenced to ap- 

 propriate all the food as before. White gradually weakened 

 and by 9 :30 was dead. The body remained in the nest until 

 4 :25 p. M. when the parent seized it by the posterior end and 

 flew away with it. Blue was fed up to the evening of the 

 thirtieth and was just about ready to leave the nest at that 



