Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley.
| www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
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himself. Greenie then climbed up the ladder leading to the platform
which was erected at Nest No.3, climbed up to the nest and examined
it. This is the first time I have seen either adult show any interest
in their old nests. After that he went away without feeding either
young bird. In fact, I have not seen either adult feed the young
this morning. The one that sang is, I think, the one with the grace-
ful carriage. I wanted to get No.1 to jump up on the worm box in my
hand, so held it at increasing heights from the ground until it had
to stand on tip-toes and partly hang by its bill on the edge of the
box. Even in this position it managed to uncover the worms, peppering
itself liberally from head to foot with bran in the process.
About 4:30 Dr. Grinnell and I went to the glade with the Doctor's
copy of Ridgway's "Color Standards and Nomenclature" to see if it
might be possible to check up on eye color, notwithstanding that
the shadows of the trees were making the light conditions unfavorable.
The three young birds came out of the bushes shortly and while the
attention of one of them (No.1) was engaged by the worms which Dr.
Grinnell offered (and which the bird took from his hand) I endeavored
to reflect light into its eyes with a mirror. A fleeting glimpse
(from memory only) by the Doctor
was tentatively classified as Sepia, Plate XXIX, although it was recognized that this classification must be regarded as based on careful
comparison with the charts. Curiously enough, the bird instead of
being frightened by the beam of light, was greatly interested in it
and tried to pick it up off of the ground as it strayed about. This
bird, while being offered food, besides quivering its wings slightly
as young birds do, also partly opened and closed them nervously in a manner which one who had not had them under observation
for long, might attribute to nervousness. However, it is a movement
which they make after taking a bath and is part of the drying operation.
I had called the Doctor's attention, when this gxx bird first appeared