The Breediirg of Ajrirnv Whifr-ri/cs. 199 
fact I am of opinion that the cock bird first makes up his 
mind to have a family, or another one, as the case may be. 
Unfortunately the birds had already started to tear the nest 
illustrated to pieces, to build their second nest with ; they 
have done this on each occasion. 
I forgot to mention that in 1914 they built a nest, very 
high u{) in a Retinospora. and had two young, which only lived 
about 5—6 days. It was a far less beautiful structure than 
this year's and really, I was able to take no notes, as the nest 
was mos' inaccessible. What finally killed the young birds in 
1914, was, I believe, green-fly fi-om an elder tree. This year 
they have built low down each time, and I found them so 
fearles.=« and trusting that I don't hesitate to drive the old birds 
off and take observations. 
Tlu eggs are smooth, fairly glossy — reri/ pale bluish - 
green, oval -oblong in shape, and large for so tiny a bird. My 
four clutches had numbered 2, 3, .3, 2, and they hatched out as 
follows: 2, 2, 3, 2. In the second clutch one egg "disap- 
peared." 
The hen does most of the incubating, and sometimes 
start:"- sitting as soon as the first egg is laid. The incuba- 
tion period is almost exactly 10 days, certainly not more, as 
I noticed the hen feeding 1 1 days after the first egg was laid. 
While the hen is incubating the cock occasionally feeds 
her, but I am inclined to think it is a case of mental aberration 
on his part, and, he forgets there are no chicks in the nost, 
for I only noticed him do it in the 2nd and 3rd nests of 1915. 
The usual thing is for the cock to relieve the hen and she 
then goes on a foraging expedition and returns after a compar- 
atively short interval to incubate again. 
For exactly seven days, the young Zosterops are fed 
entirely on small flies and other insects, which the j-arents catch 
in the aviar3^ On the eighth day the old birds took mealworms 
to their young, but I was most careful to pick out very tiny 
mealworms, about half -inch long, and as thick as a tie-pin. 
These were supplemented with gnats and flies, &c., until 
the tenth day when sop, and I believe, banana were given, 
sparingly at first, but freely afterwards. The parents wefe 
perfectly indefatigable and would come for mealworms all day 
