492 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



9.55. — One of the birds back. Too dark, of course, to 

 observe. Both the chicks were fed once at least by the arriving 

 bird, and in a manner which suggested regurgitation and nothing 

 else — jerking- of the parent bird's head, muscular action of the 

 throat, &c. Whatever they got was disgorged in some manner 

 from the crop or gullet. It was not carried in the beak and 

 dropped into their mouths. But to-night I could not feel so 

 sure that the chicks were fed a second, third, or fourth time. If 

 fed at all after the first time, it was in a very inferior degree. The 

 bill of the old bird, indeed, was placed within that of the chick 

 (or rather the chicks so placed it by grasping it with theirs), and 

 jerks of the head were made by the parent bird, but with much 

 less emphasis than the first time. 



At 10.10 came away, leaving bird still with the chicks. 



July 3rd. — (Fine all day.) Arrived at 8.30 p.m. Bird had 

 moved again, and was sitting where I found her on July 1st. 

 Note here that "Bird" at beginning of entry means throughout 

 the lighter coloured bird that sits all day, and which I take to be 

 the hen. Henceforth I shall call the dark bird the male, and the 

 light one the female. This, however, is only assumption, how- 

 ever probable. 



8.45. — Chicks came out and jumped up to be fed, but, as far 

 as I could see, were refused. This twice. The third time they 

 may have got something, but I do not think they did. Nor the 

 fourth. During this, one of the little chicks ran with perfect ease 

 some four or five inches from the old bird, and then returned. 

 Afterwards the other did the same. Find it difficult to be quite 

 sure if the parent bird gives the chicks anything before she flies 

 away for the first time. One of the chicks running all about.* 

 Again, they may have got something, but cannot be certain. Old 

 bird gave a great gape with her enormous jaws— and just now 

 again ; quite a wonderful sight. This makes me think that the 

 chicks did get something, as I have not seen the birds gape 

 except in connection with the process of feeding, either at the 

 time or afterwards, that is to say. 



* "The young of this bird, when able to crawl about," &c. (Seebohm, 

 ' A History of British Birds'). " The nestlings . . . have been known to dis- 

 play a precocious activity approaching to that of the young of gallinaceous," 

 &c. (Howard Saunders, 'Manual of British Birds'). I do not suppose my 

 chicks were two infant prodigies. [My own italics.] 



