Nesting of the Palm Tanagers. 
213 
be killed before being able to fend for itself, and T began 
to despair of success. 
This year it again seemed as if I was doomed to dis- 
appointment, for in the early part of the year there were two 
unsuccessful attempts, practically identical with those of the 
two preceding years. I am inclined to think a pair of Black- 
winged Grackles have been responsible for most of the failures, 
and I ought to have removed them long ago. 
In the early part of this year I arranged a special 
summer aviary for the Tanagers, it was complete by April and 
I at once put in pairs of.- Palm, Scarlet, and Magpie Tanagers; 
also two cock Blue and one hen each Blue-shouldered and 
Black Tanagers, and a Ruff and Reeve. 
Into this aviary I put the two boxes, one or other 
of which had been use 1 in all their previous attempts, and 
strange to say, that, though there were plenty of natural sites 
(bushes, etc.) available, they chose one of these boxes, re- 
pairing their last nest. 
Again two eggs were laid and both batched out, but one 
of the young disappeared, the other, however, steadily grew, 
duly left the nest, a strong, and robust bird; it was quite 
independent of its parents on June 23rd, and is still living. 
t may remark here, that besides the ordinary diet, the 
parents received an abundant supply of mealworms, live ants' 
eggs, etc., and on these, so far as I was able to observe — 
this applies to 1910 and 1911 as well as the present season, 
but in the latter case many insects (wer« captured in the aviary 
by the old birds, and carried to their young. 
Thus after two years of disappointing failure, I was the 
happy possessor of the first young bird of this species to be 
reared in Great Britain. 
This (success evidently meant the " turn of the tide " in 
my aviaries, with this species, for they immediately went to 
nest again, repairing their old nest and laying two eggs, 
only one of which hatched out, the young bird leaving the 
nest on July 24th. It is doing well and the old birds do not 
worry about it at all, in fact appear to take no notice of it. 
Their general demeanour while nesting was secretive, 
and if alarmed while incubating, the hen never returns till 
