April, 1920] 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



73 



perfectly globular in form and incurved sharply at 

 the top. This produced an effect seldom met with in 

 bird architecture. Instead of the usual interior per- 

 pendicularity or even an cutflare to the walls, the 

 rim rapidly converged, causing its equatorial cir- 

 cumference to bulge bowl-fashion with the throat 

 but half the diameter of the latter. It would be 

 improbable or quite impossible for the wildest tem- 

 pest to dislodge the young from this cunning cham- 

 ber. In point of real beauty of materials it yields 

 to many warblers that I know, but like its voice is 

 of remarkable strength and volume for a bird so 

 small. 



As near as I could ascertain on July 1st, the 

 nest contained hve young. These in certain sim- 

 ilitude to that of chicadees were so closely packed 

 in the nest that it seemed folly to entirely disturb 

 them; for having done so for the purpose of making 

 certain on this point left me doubtful as the possi- 

 bility of having the nest contain them all again. They 

 were a general olive color similar to that of the 

 parents and about two-thirds grown. Both tail and 

 wing quills were well advanced. 



Having secured myself in the tree, on June 26, 

 at a point level wilh the nest, it became a matter of 

 ease to watch the actions of the birds. The nest 

 became less visible from this position, though only a 

 few impassible feet distant, but in comparison to 

 observation from the ground was much superior. 

 During the half hour which I clung to the tree the 

 male visited the nest with food three times and the 

 female twice. The former upon deposition of th^ 

 food vacated the nest promptly but the female on 

 the contrary, often remained with the young until 

 the return of her mate, when she then slipped quiet- 

 ly away. In this manner the young were left alone 

 for certain periods but sheltered again for longer 

 ones when the female returned. 



During observation from the top of the ladder on 

 July 1st, when it was balanced only three feet dis- 

 tant from the nest, many points of interest became 

 known. The detention of the female at the nest I 

 observed, was due to her habit of regularly clean- 

 sing the nest of all the sac-like excrement; due to 

 the rapid digestion of the hungry infants, her obli- 

 gations in this respect seemed never to cease. The 

 matter was probed for with scrupulous care, some 

 consumed by her, and the remainder dropped over- 

 board at some distance from the nest. In this the 

 male never assisted. Candor bids me remark how- 

 ever, that his tireless assiduity in harvesting for the 

 young more than offset this disparity. 



In respect to their disposition I discovered the 

 greatest satisfaction. Imagine these two creations, 

 inexpressable in modest beauty, incomparable in 



graceful deportment, ineffable in euphony of song, 

 passing to and fro in the execution of their poetic 

 labor destitute entirely of fear or suspicion. With 

 my face only a couple of feet distant from the nest 

 the pair continued their work scarcely conscious of 

 my presence. True, at first they hovered above me 

 with sweet queries in their throats and entered the 

 nest from the opposite side of the bough but soon 

 this discretion was forsaken for perfect freedom. 

 Twice, the male warbling an undertone alighted 

 within two feet of my hand on the supporting guy 

 rope of the ladder. A pretty performance and em- 

 ployed only by the male was to flit from the nest 

 and become suspended on whirring wings before 

 me, like a hummingbird before a flower. It seemed 

 like a feathered phantom surrounded by a halo of 

 changing light, supported by some strange and 

 magic force of gravitation. Having satisfactorily 

 examined me in this aerial fashion he would flit 

 easily away perhaps singing as he went.. Thus, 

 without sign of timidity each came near with ad- 

 vances of delightful piquancy, the male engaged in 

 melody and the other quaintly moving about in 

 silence. The first time she uttered any note in my 

 presence was when tapping the limb gently during 

 one of her protracted visits to the young, she flitted 

 with great celerity from the nest calling petulentlj' 

 in a single sweet querulous note identical in pitch 

 and quality to the prelude of the male. She later, 

 on one or two occasions, voiced the same call. 

 Theirs was no suspicious and labored advances; no 

 unconsolable, strident and satirical calls, but con- 

 versely, uttering no protest, slipped demurely from 

 limb to limb with sweet-tempered curiosity suggest- 

 ing certain concessions of welcome. 



Only two distinct species of insects were observed 

 to attract the attention of the Kinglets at this time. 

 One, a delicate, winged gnat composed only occa- 

 sional offerings to the young. The other, a dull 

 whitish insect apparently without wings, was freely 

 and regularly given. The offerings of the female 

 were identical. The male persisted in song near and 

 far during the gleaning of food and ranged for this 

 purpose from ten to fifty yards at least from the 

 nest. 



The song of this species has attracted no little 

 comment during its spring migrations, when it is 

 available to so many whom fortune otherwise would 

 never favor. It is of unqualified distinction. For 

 strength and beauty of tone in comparison to its 

 size I regard it as peerless. No poor words of mine 

 can express the supernal sweetness of this produc- 

 tion. It wavers and trills in such exquisite tone 

 color, such transparent delicacy, such distilled 

 freshness what superlatives can do it justice? 



