BIOLOGY 



When the young ones can hold up their heads the feed- 

 ing begins. At first the parent tries to induce its off spring 

 to feed by tickhng its bill and throat. The old bird opens 

 its mouth and the chick puts its head right in and picks 

 the food out of the throat. The bird can be seen bringing 

 it up into the throat by an effort. If the young is unwill- 

 ing to feed some food is thrown right up on to the ground 

 and a little of it picked up again and placed on the chick's 

 bill. After learning the way there is no need for such 

 inducement, and the parents are taxed to satisfy the 

 clamouring for more. 



For some weeks after the young are hatched life in the 

 rookery goes smoothly along. One parent is always on 

 the nest and the young birds do not wander. Then the 

 trouble begins. The young begin to move about and if 

 anything disturbs the colony they run about in panic. As 

 they don't know nest or parent they cannot return home. 

 They meet the case by adopting parents, and run under 

 any bird they come to. The old birds resent this and a 

 chick is often pecked away from nest after nest till 

 exhausted. The skuas get some at this time, but it is 

 surprising how few. Most of the chicks take some old 

 one unawares and get in the nest. She may have a chick 

 already, or chicks, but as she doesn't know which is her 

 own she cannot drive the intruder away. A sorely puzzled 

 bird may be seen trying to cover four gigantic chicks. 

 Some of the less precocious youngsters stay at home long 

 enough to get to know the nest, and can find their way 

 home after wandering a few yards. Such homes keep 

 together a little longer. 



The time comes when both parents must be absent 

 together to get enough food for the growing chicks. Then 

 the social order of the rookery breaks down and chaos 

 begins. The social condition which is evolved out of the 



255 



