336 BIRDS OF BEITISH GUIANA. 



auspicious places, they gathered on the roof o£ the house with 

 their parents. Invariably at 6.15, at a seemingly preconceived 

 signal, they launched forth into the air with one great rush and 

 chatter^ swooping iind sailing about the house for a few minutes 

 before departing over the bush to seek their morning meal. 



" The art of catching their meal did not come quite so easily as 

 the first flights. They had to be fed for a week or more after 

 they were dodging and darting about in the air, and some even 

 clamoured for food after their parents were nesting again. The 

 old birds at first perched beside their offspring, to feed them, but 

 soon — the young birds learning to grasp the insects with their 

 bills instead of having it crammed down their throats — hovered 

 above and forced the young to reach up to seize it when they 

 passed by. Becoming expert in this and being greedy, the young- 

 sters quickly learned to sally forth to meet their parents and take 

 the food from them in the air. It gradually dawned upon them, as 

 time when on, that they might secure their food themselves, as well 

 as from their parents. But this came only after the elders had 

 dropped one or two insects which made the youngers scramble to 

 secure them before they escaped. 



"A few days later the old birds we're nesting again. 



" To return to the Martins of the bird-house : the young hatched, 

 they were cared for in the orthodox fashion. The entrance to 

 their home was a round opening about two inches in diameter. 

 A cross stick, that projected a foot or more beyond the side of the 

 box, was nailed there, about an inch below, for a perch. 



"I watched for the three little ones to make their first ap- 

 pointed trip into the air on the twenty-second day. One finally 

 perched on the doorway and looked about in a dazed fashion at 

 this new world never before discovered. Casting a look down- 

 ward, he decided that it was beyond his ability to ever trust 

 himself to the great emptiness beneath. It was far too perilous 

 to attempt the scramble and climb that were necessary to gain 

 the outer perch. So there he remained, while his two brothers or 

 sisters vainly pushed and squeezed to get a glimpse, too. 



" The parents hovered about, chirping and urging him to chance 

 it, but he remained immovably placed and answered all entreaties 

 with weak little noises. They gave it up and brought food. 

 When he had received a full share, they tried to push him back 



