400 LAND BIRDS 



glasses, and while it was impossible to see how the weav- 

 ing was done on account of the thick foliage, it was easy 

 to ascertain that the male bird was the architect. Only 

 once did the female drop down to the nest, and then she 

 remained so long as to make it seem certain an egg was 

 laid. However, the next day she was flying away over 

 the valley with apparently no thought of family cares, 

 and was not observed near the nest tree again until the 

 third day after. Two days later sitting began. In this 

 the male shared to a limited extent only. At least he 

 remained at the nest, but whether or not he actually 

 brooded the eggs I do not know, because a fear of caus- 

 ing the birds to desert prevented a watch at close range. 

 On the fourteenth day the male was observed visiting 

 the nest very frequently, and an examination revealed two 

 pinkish bits of bird life, naked except for a sprinkling of 

 thin gray down on top of heads and shoulders. There was 

 nothing in their appearance to suggest the elegant form 

 of their parents, and they might as well have been young 

 sparrows. From that time on we obtained an intimate 

 knowledge of their development by keeping watch under 

 the tree. The intervals of feeding varied with the time 

 of day. From four to six a. m. the shortest wait was five 

 minutes and the longest seventeen. During the day as 

 long as one hour sometimes intervened between the meals. 

 Insects and berries were swallowed by the adults, who 

 fed the young by regurgitation. In the case of the wax- 

 wings and Phainopeplas the process of regurgitation 

 lacks the usual violent pumping motion, but consists of a 

 quick eructation of the food from the throat into the bill. 



