120 



THE OOLOGIST 



averaged 1.55 x 1.12. On the 18tli an- 

 other egg was deposited which was 

 bluish white, much lighter in color 

 than the others and but sparsely 

 speckled with light brown and lilac 

 and measured 1.62 x 1.21. On the 31st 

 the last egg deposited hatched first 

 during the early morning. During the 

 afternoon about four o'clock the other 

 four hatched. This brood was allowed 

 to be fed by the parents for eight 

 days and when then one of the young 

 was killed and dissected for examina- 

 tion of the alimentary track. 



This stomach contained the follow- 

 ing: Corn, 12%; Beetles, 8%; Spiders, 

 22%; Orthoptera, 30%; Invertebrates, 

 5% and Vertebrates 23%. 



On the twentieth day another young 

 bird was killed and its alimentary 

 track was examined and contained the 

 following: Corn, 35%; Beetles, 30%; 

 Lepidoptera, 10%; Spiders, 12% and 

 Vertebrates, 13%. 



On the same day the adult male 

 was killed and its stomach contained 

 on examiantion: Corn, 62%; Beetles, 

 23%; Vertebrates, 5%; Lepidoptera, 

 5% and Invertebrates 5%. 



The second nest with eggs was 

 found near the second tract on the 

 19th and contained a set of five eggs, 

 all uniform in color and size and re- 

 sembled the first four of the first set. 

 This set averaged 1.58 x 1.14. The 

 young all emerged on the 3d of May. 

 The young of this brood was fed from 

 the first tract largely from the time 

 of hatching until the 9th and then the 

 parents foraged on the second tract 

 plowed until the planting and then 

 from the first and third tracts. 



On the eighth day one of these 

 youngsters was killed and stomach 

 examined and differed but slightly 

 from the first stomach examined ex- 

 cept that the percentage of corn was 

 8% more and the percentage of Orth- 

 optera was decreased by an equal 

 amount, 



Another of the youngsters of this 

 brood was killed and examined on the 

 twentieth day and the following result 

 was obtained: Corn, 42%; Beetles, 

 25%; Lepidoptera, 12%; Spiders 13%; 

 Invertebrates 5% and Vertebrates 3%. 



On the same day of the last exam- 

 ination, the stomach of four adult 

 males were examined and the follow- 

 ing average was obtained from these: 

 Corn 72%; Beetles, 12% Vertebrates, 

 11%; Spiders, 2% and Invertebrates 

 3%. 



The next two nests were located on 

 the 23d about two hundred feet apart 

 near the first tract and as in the first 

 case in cedars about fifteen feet from 

 the ground. The eggs in these two 

 cases distinctly showed the effect of 

 the lime in their coloration. In the 

 two nests nine eggs were deposited 

 and all were uniform in color. These 

 eggs were bluish white and but sparse- 

 ly spotted with brown and lilac and 

 averaged 1.60 x 1.15. 



The young of these broods were fed 

 from the first and third tracts and two 

 stomachs examined at the age of 

 twelve days contained the following: 

 Corn, 30%; Beetles, 30%; Lepidop- 

 tera, 4%; Vertebrates 20%; Spiders, 

 12%, and Orthoptera 4%. 



In the fifth nest, which came to 

 light on the 25th in an oak about forty 

 feet from the ground near the second 

 tract, the eggs were of the dark phase 

 and averaged 1.58x1.14. No stomachs 

 were examined in this brood because 

 of the nests being inaccessible. The 

 parents fed the young of this brood 

 wholly from the third tract. 



In the sixth nest, which was in a 

 cedar near the third tract and discov- 

 ered on the 28th, a set of five eggs 

 were deposited and, as in the case of 

 the second and third, the eggs were 

 of the light phase. In fact, but little 

 of the bluish tinge was apparent, In- 

 dicating clearly that the effect of the 



