338 BIKDS OF BRITISH GUIANA. 



this Way and that, both up and down. Once he lost courage and 

 scrambled back to the hole, but soon returned as if thoroughly 

 ashamed of himself. At last, upon casting a convulsive look 

 downward, he lost his balance, and away he went, bravely 

 struggling to keep in tiie air, at a slant towards the ground. 

 Suddenly the knowledge seemed to come, and he rose above the 

 buslies, a little uncertainly at first, but acquiring more confidence 

 as he progressed. And, before disappearing from sight, he had 

 essayed the first waving soar. 



"" Instead of making for the nearest perch, he flew around and 

 around for more than ten minutes, always gaining in skill and 

 steadiness, so that it was a hard matter to tell their flight apart 

 when he returned unaccompanied by his mother. He alighted on 

 the roof of the box, for the perch at first looked too difficult, and 

 mado that the l)ase for other practice flights. Finally tin:e 

 arrived to seek the nest, ])ut then came the perplexing question: 

 which of the four holes was it ? Two laborious attempts at wrong 

 ones at length pointed out the right one. 



" The second bird left the nest on the following day, but several 

 days elapsed before the third made its escape, having remained in 

 the nest for more than a month. The general delay was un- 

 doubtedly due to the environmental change in locality of the 

 nest. They are ordinarily placed in such a position that the}^oung 

 mav at least sit on the edge of the nest and exercise their wings 

 prepaiatory to the first fligiit. In this case, in their cramped 

 quarters, there was no such advantage, and, at flight time, the 

 young birds were entirely unprepared for the new problem tiiat 

 confronted tliem. They awaited, therefore, their lull strength and 

 feather growth before making the attem[)t, and, when flight time 

 did come, it was not a weak flutter to a nearby roof or friendly 

 bush, but a strong sally which almost rivalled that of their 

 parents. 



" For ten days or more the birds used the box as their home and 

 doubtless would be using yet, if, while they prepared to rear a 

 second brood, the elders had not driven them away. During 

 their second occupancy, I became interested in their evident 

 inability to remember or disregard of which of the four 0}>enings 

 in the box really was their true home. Even after a week of 

 exploration and investigation the (juestion seemed to be somewhat 

 in doubt, for they seldom, until near the end, made their way 



