Nest Life of the Catbird 181 



tered trees and the insect forms to be found in any numbers 

 were limited to the forms mentioned. The yellow warbler 

 nest was located in the same kind of a ravine as the catbird 

 nest C and the variety of insects was great, as is shown by 

 the report. It would seem then, that the accident of location 

 has considerable influence on the character of the food given 

 to the nestlings. For example, location in a position repre- 

 senting a variety of conditions of vegetation, shade, soil, and 

 moisture will cause a wide variety of insect species to be fed. 

 On the other hand, a situation presenting few of these varia- 

 tions will limit the number of species fed and will very prob- 

 ably cause one or two forms to furnish a large percentage 

 of the food. The surrounding area need not be large to fur- 

 nish these conditions as all the birds yet studied seem to for- 

 age within a comparatively small area around the nest. 



Distribution of the Food to the Nestlings. 



In nest A, nestling A who had left the nest at 11 :16 a. m. 

 on July 1 received 47 feedings while B and C who stayed 

 until night received 83, and 88 feedings, respectively. Up to 

 the time A left, B had received 41 feedings and C 60 to A's 

 47, or an average of 49 to each nestling. No regularity was 

 noted in the feeding, the same one being fed three or four 

 times in succession during some periods. 



During the study of nest C, the distribution of the food to 

 the nestlings was interrupted by the death of two out of the 

 three nestlings while the nest was under observation. Table 

 IV shows something of the distribution of the feedings and 

 food during the ten days. 



TABLE IV. 



Showing the Distribution of Feedings in Nest C. 



Date Undetermined Blue Brown White Total 



July 21 6 6 .. 12* 



July 22 7 16 14 3 40* 



July 23 10 IS 13 12 53* 



July 24 2 40 1 24 67* 



July 25 5 29 .. 13 47* 



