YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 557 



and larvae of insects. The young Verdins remained in 

 the nest quite three weeks, and long after their debut 

 they returned to the nursery every night to sleep. The 

 usual note of the adult Verdins is a chickadee-like " tsee- 

 tu-tu" uttered while hunting, chickadee fashion, among 

 the terminal buds and under the leaves for their insect 

 food, and this the nestlings mimic in two syllables as 

 soon as they leave the nest, — " tsee-tee, tsee-tee." It is 

 a cry of hunger, and never fails to bring the parent with 

 food. 



