The Water-Ouzel at Home, 



107 



sylvania Chautauqua, at Mount Gretna, Pa. From my 

 second-story lecture-room I had them under daily obser- 

 vation during the entire period of incubation and until 

 the fledglings were coaxed from the nest. As soon as 

 the eggs had given place to five cavernous-mouthed nest- 

 lings, the work of foraging began. The diet of the young 

 vireos consisted largely of caterpillars. The female 

 always carefully minced hers during the first few days, 

 but the male pushed the whole of his catch undivided 

 down the throat of the luckless nestling that happened to 

 be nearest to him. It was no thanks to his care that some 

 of them narrowly escaped death by choking. Once the 

 female happened to arrive just as he was about to repeat 

 some of his bungling work. At once she flew at him with 

 every sign of indignation, snatched the caterpillar from 

 him and divided it piecemeal among her nestlings. For 

 some time after that she contrived to be at the nest when- 

 ever he returned. Apparently she had no faith in his 

 ability to feed her nestlings, for on these occasions she 

 herself distributed the food he brought. Her actions, even 

 as in the case of the ouzels, indicated that she expected 

 and disapproved certain things in the conduct of her 

 mate. 



In the cases observed it was the female whose stronger 

 maternal instincts made the demands on the conduct of 

 the male. But the obligations and the demands are no 

 doubt reciprocal. Such evidences of domesticity give the 

 water-ouzel no mean place among birds that have an 

 admittedly high emotional development. Long may this 

 charming singer continue to dwell in the cascaded moun- 

 tain fastnesses of the Pacific Coast — his only and in- 

 alienable home ! 



