Illustrations of the Method. 



27 



tent was in position, and the panora- 

 mic scenes of life at this nest went on 

 without disturbance for the rest of 

 tliat day. The birds were before 

 your eye, hterally at hand, and the 

 observer had only to watch and re- 

 cord the rapidly shifting scenes with 

 pencil and camera. 



On the third day, July 4th, the 

 female was on the bough in six min- 

 utes, and in six and a half minutes 

 from the beginning of operations fed 

 her brood. 



The fourth day of study at this 

 nest, or the sixth from the time of 

 displacement, was the most interest- 

 ing of all. There were now two foster 

 children in addition to the two born 

 in the house, for I had transferred 

 two birds from a former nest (No. 21 

 of table). No protest was made at 



Fig. 22. Female Redwing Blackbird with featliers erect, keep- 

 ing cool while shielding young from heat. 



Fig. 21. Male Redwing Blackbird feeding young, 



this intrusion, but the strangers were 

 adopted almost immediately and fed 

 and guarded with all the care given 

 to their own offspring. 



In the space of four hours (8.54 

 A.M. to 12.50 P.M.) the parents made 

 one hundred and eight visits to the 

 nest and fed their brood ninety-one 

 times. In this task the female bore 

 the larger share, bringing food more 

 than fifty times, although the male 

 made a good showing, having a rec- 

 ord of thirty-seven visits to his credit. 

 During this long interval the \-oung 

 were thus fed on the average of once 

 in two and one half minutes. At each 

 feeding usually one and but rarely 

 two birds were served. During the 

 first hour the young were fed on an 

 average of once in one and a half 

 minutes. The observer was kept on 



