. British birds. Birds. OTES. PARENT-BIRDS REMOVING- M^.TTER FROM THE GAPES OF NESTLINGS. Foe some years now I have been paying particular atten- tion to the nestlings of common birds. It is of course now known to all ornithologists that the parf^nts keep the nest clean (as a general rule) by carrying awry the excrement, and often by swallowing it, during the -^arly part of the nestling-period. While watching these operations I noticed that, after feeding the young, the old bi'ds almost always examined the gapes of the nestlings and often removed something from them. It was not at all easy to
. British birds. Birds. OTES. PARENT-BIRDS REMOVING- M^.TTER FROM THE GAPES OF NESTLINGS. Foe some years now I have been paying particular atten- tion to the nestlings of common birds. It is of course now known to all ornithologists that the parf^nts keep the nest clean (as a general rule) by carrying awry the excrement, and often by swallowing it, during the -^arly part of the nestling-period. While watching these operations I noticed that, after feeding the young, the old bi'ds almost always examined the gapes of the nestlings and often removed something from them. It was not at all easy to come to a conclusion as to what was removed, for it was usually impossible to obtain anything for examination, especially as most of the parent-birds swallowed vihat they removed. I feel convinced, however, that what is removed is either food which the nestling has not sv^allowed, or it is undigested matter that has returned to the gape. In the case of some of the warblers (Greater and Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap, and Willow-Warbler especially) I have noticed that the matter removed often has the appearance of a caterpillar-skin, and I feel certain that the skins of caterpillars cannot be digested by the nestlings and are disposed of in this way. Dr. Wills and Mr. R. Iremonger both watched a Lesser Whitethroat's nest with me, and also conside^'ed that this was the case. I have also seen matter removed from the gape of nestling Cuckoos. Generally this was swallowed but once I saw it dropped by a Common Whitethroat. I was in a " hide " at the time and was afterwards unfortunately una')le to find what the bird had for it fell into some rather tall after- math. So far as I could see jt had the appearance of wings of various flies. Mr. H. Armytage Sanders, when photo- graphing a Cuckoo-nestling eight days old, saw the Hedge- Sparrow foster-parent remove a white " blob" from the Cuckoo's mouth and swallow it. This, I think, must have been a caterpillar-skin. At t
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublisherl, booksubjectbirds
