Page:Bird-lore Vol 08.djvu/26

 8 Bird -Lore father, if I have determined the sex correctly," took most of the care of the little ones, at least when they were about the house. As soon as the young were weaned they commenced to disappear one after another, and after July I I saw no more of them. Possibly they came to some tragic end, but I prefer to think that the parents took them away and left them where they could not find their way back. On July 15 my bird commenced to carry food again, and on July 29 he came with two new babies. They seemed very young and helpless, but, as before, were soon fed on my hand. They would often come together, and he would feed them by turn. Although fond of nuts himself, he would take nothing but doughnuts for the young. I suppose it was too much work to break up the nuts. When the little ones were about old enough to care for themselves, it was funny to see him give the first a bite of food, and then a dab with the bill. Sometimes he would get so energetic with his cuffs that they would have to take refuge under my hand, clinging with their feet to my fingers. On August 13 one of the young birds came alone, and I heard him sing the " Phcebe " song, as well as the chick -a- dee- dee. .- I had heard strange trembling notes for a day or two, and suspected that they came from the young birds, but ha.t not been able to verify the suspicion. They have been feeding themselves for some time now, but are still with me and come to my hand for food. They often come together, but I am sorry to say that they quarrel most shamefully. When very hungry they will eat together peacefully for a short time, but before long one or other of them will commence to call names. What they say does not seem to me at all objectionable. It sounds very much like Chickadee, chickadee, but I have learned that when said in a certain way with the accent on chick it is always the signal for a regular pitched battle. The father bird often comes when the young birds are eating, but he always sends them off in a hurry. Evidently he has no intention of sharing his food with any of his offspring. One of the young birds sometimes sleeps in the piazza screen when it is rolled up for the night. The photo- graph shows one of the young birds eating. As they were rather shy of the camera, we did not succeed in getting the two together. Littering the ' Phoebe ' call ; and the fact that among birds the female parent is usually the more solicitous for the safety of the young, prompts the suggestion that our correspondent is possibly in error in this determination of sex. — Ed.
 * Chickedees are apparently not to be distinguished sexually by their notes, both sexes