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i88 Bird -Lore piece of mosquito-bar. Then I proceeded to individualize the ball of feathers : one, two, three, to seven were counted without undue surprise, but when an eighth and ninth were added, I marvelled at the energy which had supplied so many mouths with food, and at the same time wondered how many caterpillars had been devoured by this one family of birds. Not less remarkable than the number of young — and no book I have consulted records so large a brood — was their condition. Not only did they all appear lusty, but they seemed to be about equally developed, the slight difference in strength and size which existed being easily attributable to a difference in age, some in- terval, doubtless, having elapsed between the hatching of the first and last egg. This fact would have been of interest had the birds inhabited an open nest, or a nest large enough for them all to have had an equal opportunity to receive food, but where only two-thirds of their number could be seen from above at once it seems remark- able, that, one or more failing to receive his share of food — and a very little neglect would have resulted fatally — had not been weakened in consequence and crushed to death by more fortunate members of the brood. Nor was their physical condition the only surprising thing about the members of this Chickadee family ; each individual was as clean as though he had been reared in a nest alone, and an examination of the nest showed that it would have been passed as perfect by the most scrupulous sanitary inspector. It was composed of firmly padded rabbit's fur, and except for the sheaths worn off the growing feathers of the young birds, was ab- solutely clean. Later I observed that the excreta of the young were enclosed in membranous sacs, which enabled the parents to readily remove them from the nest. The last bird having been placed in the net, I attempted to pose them in a row on the perch before their door. The task reminded me of almost forgotten efforts at building card houses which, when nearly completed, would be brought to ruin by an ill-placed card. How many times each Chickadee tumbled or fluttered from his perch I cannot say. The soft, elastic net spread beneath them preserved them from injury, and bird after bird was returned to his place so little worse for his fall that he was quite ready to try it again. On several occasions eight birds were induced to take the positions assigned them, then in assisting the ninth to his allotted place the balance of the birds on either side would be disturbed and down into the net they would go. These difficulties, however, could be overcome, but not so the