. A history of birds . ght large E. L. Turner, an Ornithologist of rare zeal and greatdiscrimination, tells a most amusing story of a scene she sawenacted on the edge of the nest of a Red-backed Shrike. Themale had brought to the nest a young bird, and pulling off itshead proceeded to ram it down the throat of a very clamantyoungster. But the morsel was too big and had to be readjusted,not once, but several times, and finally, was rammed down itsthroat with such success that the wretched bird was in imminentdanger of death from choking. At this the female, who hadbeen sitting
. A history of birds . ght large E. L. Turner, an Ornithologist of rare zeal and greatdiscrimination, tells a most amusing story of a scene she sawenacted on the edge of the nest of a Red-backed Shrike. Themale had brought to the nest a young bird, and pulling off itshead proceeded to ram it down the throat of a very clamantyoungster. But the morsel was too big and had to be readjusted,not once, but several times, and finally, was rammed down itsthroat with such success that the wretched bird was in imminentdanger of death from choking. At this the female, who hadbeen sitting on the opposite edge of the nest looking on, andmaking, apparently, very sarcastic remarks on the awkwardnessof her lord, seized the offending head and dragging it from thethroat of the choking offspring, proceeded to tear it into smallpieces, giving each of her brood a piece. And during this timethe male looked on in what appeared to be a very subduedfashion! With regard to the feeding of Passerine birds much has yet. ISp^i^^^r MALK TREK PIIll ; KXCKKI.\ FROM ITS NEST CARE OF OFFSPRING 229 to be learned. But it would seem that the majority of speciesfeed their young during the first few hours after hatching onregurgitated food ; later this is varied by a few insects, whichsoon become the staple diet, to be finally succeeded, in the caseof grain and seed-eating birds, by a vegetable diet. In the case of birds of prey which capture relatively largeanimals, the victim is borne to the nest and torn in pieces, eachnestling receiving its due share. But it would seem that morevictims are occasionally caught than is absolutely necessary,inasmuch as bodies more or less putrefying are commonly foundin the immediate neighbourhood of the nest, and within reachof the young. When the young remain for some time helpless within anest the work of the parents, as we have remarked, becomesarduous in the extreme, and this because of the endless journeysto and fro that must be made duri
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1910
