60 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



back, whilst the hardness of the outline suggested its being 

 denuded of feathers. All this makes me much regret my not 

 having first examined the Jay's nest before taking up my posi- 

 tion to watch it. I must then, I think, either have found the 

 carcase already plumed, or else it must have been devoured with 

 the feathers on it. 



Left a little after 7.30 a.m. 



Down again a little before 6 p.m. The bird was on the nest, 

 and I at once noted that she was sitting higher. A little while 

 after I was there the male hawk entered the plantation, and kept 

 uttering his little plaintive " tehee, tehee, tehee, tehee, tehee," 

 as though to call the female off the nest, and in a minute or two 

 she did, in fact, leave it, and flew towards the cries. When she 

 was gone I noticed something moving in the nest. At first it 

 looked dark, but, several times afterwards, I saw distinctly the 

 fluffy whiteness of an evidently newly hatched chick. Very soon 

 the bird was back, and at once began to busy herself with the 

 booty which she had evidently brought back, though I was not 

 able to see it in her claws as she alighted, owing to the foliage 

 and her quickness combined. She, I think, at first began eating 

 herself, but afterwards I distinctly saw her fe'eding the chicks, 

 picking out evidently very small pieces, and then bending down 

 her head, and presenting them very carefully— once I saw the 

 black bill of a little fluffy chick lifted up to meet hers. She fed 

 them very carefully and thoroughly, and it took some time. 

 Then she settled herself once more on the nest, and remained 

 there brooding the chicks till 7.13, when I again heard the cries 

 of the male in the plantation. Almost immediately his partner 

 joined him, as was evident from the cries of both, at the same 

 spot, now quite different in character, fuller, less shrill, and 

 having an endearing, joyous tone in them — so, at least, it seemed 

 to me — that was very pretty to hear. Then, at 7.15, the hen 

 flew, with great speed, directly on to the nest — like a flash, 

 in fact, as I have not before seen her do. She had, then, 

 a fierce, wild look, and as she dashed down I caught sight of 

 some dark-looking thing — it seemed in her beak — and a moment 

 or two afterwards she began tearing fiercely at the body, evi- 

 dently of another bird. On this she made a hearty meal, and 

 she did not, this time, as far as I could observe, feed the chicks, 



