The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-06-22

nursery, and makes it clean and sweet
for the home of her little ones, and
during their life in it, it is kept so,
everything that could soil it being
carefully removed.
Ii the nest is that of a song bird,
the younglings are blind and feather
less, and require constant care. Ducks
and others of their kin fare different
ly-come into the world with their
eyes open, and beautifully clad in
suits of down. An ornithologist on
Long Island once had the good fortune
to see duckling dressed. He held
the egg in his hand while the young
ster broke his way out, and appeared
bare Of feathers, with here and there
black hair scattered over the body.
While he looked these hairs began to
split, and out of each came beauti-
full fluff of down; SO that in few
minutes after he came out of his shell
the young bird was completely
dressed, could see, and run about,
and in fact was wide awake and ready
for life.
The Question of Food Supply.
The mostimportant business about
the bird household at this date is the
food supply. The male now comes
to the front, and for few days does
almost the entire feeding. But as
the young ones grow rapidly, very
soon the mother is as busy as he.
Songs cease almost entirely, and
both work from morning till night,
seeking and bringing food to the
nest.
The manner of feeding differs in
different families. Robins, bluebirds
and many others bring the worm or
insect, pop it into the nestling's
mouth, and the thing is done. Some
times the parent brings but one NOR
sci at a time, and but one youngster
is satisfied; but again, bird will
collect three or four or more wrig-
Cling worms, and bring enough at
once for the whole brood.
The number of insects fed to young
birds cannot be computed, but by
close watching and careful calcula-
ton. approximate figures have been
made. 1t has thus been discovered
that twenty thousand grubs is a small
estimate of the number devoured by
one blue jay family during the nest
ing months, and many others are just
as valuable insect destroyers.
How Little Ones are Fed.
Not all bird feeding is so simple,
however. The humming bird sup
plies the wants of her youngling by
thrusting her sharp beak down into
its throat as if about to murder it,
and the flicker or golden winged
woodpecker does the same, not only
pushing the beak far down, but Civ
ing several savage-looking pokes, or
thrusts, while there, then drawing
away, and jerking up another supply
of the ants she has eaten, and admin
istering that in the same murderous
looking fashion. The swallow, as she
wheels and skins the air, collects a
mass of tiny insects, which, formed
into compact mass or pill, she de-
livers with one poke into the mouth
of her hungry baby.
1t is curious fact that the mother
seems to be held strictly responsible
for anything that happens in the
nest. Cases are on record where a
strange egg has been introduced into
nest, and the mother bird been set
upon and killed by her neighbors,
doubtless with her mate at the head.
l have seen an instance where nest
ling became entangled in the nest
material and could not free himself,
and when the efforts of the parents
could not release him, the father fell
upon him most savagely, shook him
to death, tore him free, and dropped
his dead body to the ground. Then
the little monster-an English spar
row = turned upon his mate, the
mother of the unfortunate, drove her
furiously away from the nest tree,
absolutely divorced her, and brought
home bride within few hours.
Thus in widely different ways do
birds rear their young till able to
leave the nest, when housekeeping
days are over, and new phase of
life REPRESENTATION.
BROOKLYN, N. Y,
nIIIr cTf.nU ON nUTIN u TWIN