Minute Observations on Catbirds. 



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passes rapidly to a branch, and spreading and pumping the tail pauses in an attitude 

 of attention before making another movement. 



Both birds now began to bring an abundance of insects and fruit, as if making up for 

 lost time. Tlie female came with two 

 cherries in her bill and promptly gave 

 one to each of the two birds. Then 

 a grasshopper was served, a)id still 

 again a dragon- fly, with blue body 

 and spotted wings (the Libclliila 

 pulchclla). The insect was swallowed 

 wings and all, but only after pro- 

 longed efforts. As confidence was 

 gradualh' regained, the birds would 

 remain longer and longer at the nest, 

 pick the young all over, and clean 

 ever\-thing with care and delibera- 

 tion. 



At this time (July 23d) the young 

 wei'e about eight days old, and could 

 be easily approached. Two days later 

 when their nest was touched, they 

 tumbled out in an instant, disappear- 

 ing as if by magic amid the leaves. 

 I succeeded in finding one of them, 

 but it refused to remain in the old 

 nest. Its wing-quills now showed a 

 half inch of the feather-shaft, which 

 represented two days' growth, while 

 the tail feathers were still in the stub- 

 brush stage. 



There were four \-oung in the 

 second nest, which was discovered in 



,1 1 ^ ^1 ■ 11 Fig. 67. Female Catbird inspecting after havin? fed the voungr. 



some bushes close to tlie river bank t s & 3 ^ 



on the nineteenth of June. It rested in the crotch formed by the crossing of shoots of 

 the dogwood and alder. The young were in pin-feathers, but not a tube had burst. Roth 

 old birds happened to be off foraging, but quickly returned with food in their mouths, 

 and began to alarm the neighborhood. 



The tent was pitched in front of this nest at eight o'clock on the morning of June 23d. 

 After it was closed both birds began their cautious explorations in the vicinit}-, tscJiayiug 

 incessantly and with nerve-rasping vehemence. A male Redwing Blackbirtl was soon 

 attracted to the spot, and added his note of alarm to the general outcr\', but after finding 

 that the matter did not concern him, returned to his nest in the flags farther awav. 



In twent)- minutes the Catbirds had become more quiet, and began to pay close 

 attention to the tent. The Redwing was heard coii-qitcr-ccmg in the distance. Song 

 Sparrows were singing merrily. Veeries called from the woods close at hand, and the 



