2o6 OUR SEARCH FOR A WILDERNESS. 



The special distribution was as follows: 



Number and Condition of Young. Number of Nesls. 

 2 well-fledged young in 2 nests. 



1 well-fledged young in 5 nests. 



2 partly fledged young in 4 nests. 



1 partly fledged young in 8 nests. 



2 newly hatched birds in i nest. 

 I newly hatched bird in i nest. 



The nests were tyjMcally Cassique-like, made of stout root- 

 lets and grasses, while at the lower end was a cup-shaped 

 lining of very fine grass and root hairs, forming a soft bedding. 

 The nests \-aried from thirteen to eighteen inches in length, 

 and all but five had an upper roosting chamber, built on 

 above the entrance. These five were built directly beneath 

 a group of others, and the bases of the ones above ser^'ed as 

 protecting roofs. This was a most interesting adaptation to 

 varying conditions. Just before felling the tree we noticed in 

 several instances that both parents shared in the work of 

 bringing food to the young ones. Almost all of the young 

 were uninjured Ijy the fall of the tree. Three were thrown 

 out of the nests and these we chloroformed in order to 

 find what their food had been. The stomach of one was 

 crammed with white seeds of two kinds; one nearly round 

 and about as large as the head of a pin, while the others 

 were longer, perhaps one-third of an inch in length. iNIingled 

 with these seeds were remains of numerous insects; beetles, 

 grasshoppers and caterpillars. The two other birds, which 

 were younger, and almost bare of feathers, had received chiefly 

 animal food, as follows: — 



1. A three-inch, smooth caterpillar, medium sized spider, 

 many small bugs, and a mass of berry seeds. 



2. Several one-inch cut-worms; spider; small iridescent 

 beetle; yellow butterfly; a few berry seeds. 



