BIRDS IN THE BUSH 



2 73 



fluttering in the breeze, it becomes to 

 the squirrel hunter a tell-tail. 



To fetch home some of these nests 

 and pull them apart is interesting. 

 You will discover that there is almost 

 no end to the things that birds will use 

 in the building. It would be easy to 

 name offhand forty or fifty articles, 

 such as fancy lace, newspaper, 

 matches, silver spoons, watch chains, 

 that have been found in the walls or 

 in the lining. I once climbed to a 

 crow's nest, which at the time con- 

 tained fresh eggs, and found it partly 

 lined by a strong-smelling skunk skin 

 with the hair attached. 



Yet many species build with great 

 uniformity from certain materials to 

 whith they always adhere. The king- 

 fisher uses fine fish bones as a bed for 

 the white eggs that she lays at the 

 end of her burrow in a sandy bank ; the 

 cliff swallow must have a mud house, 

 and nothing else ; the humming bird 

 demands lichens and a special kind of 

 natural felt ; the orchard oriole insists 

 on a fine, tough grass which makes his 

 pendant cradle a basket. Others are 

 similarly interesting and instructive. 



The Whistling of the Golden-eye Duck. 



Watertown, New York. 

 Dear Mr. Sawyer : — 



While duck hunting I have always 

 noticed a whistling sound made by the 

 whistler or golden-eye. Although the 

 sound itself is familiar to all duck 

 hunters none seem to know definitely 

 how the whistling is produced. Will 

 you kindly explain it? 



Yours truly, 



T. Gladd. 



The whistling is produced by the 

 duck's wings. The flight of all ducks is 

 accompanied by a similar sound. It 

 is probably more pronounced with the 

 golden-eye as this species has a smaller 

 expanse of wing than others in relation 

 to the weight of the body. The "whir" 

 of a flying grouse, cpiail or woodcock 



NEST OF RED-EYED VIREO. 



is of the same nature. Ordinarily it 

 requires a vigorous, and therefore a re- 

 sounding, stroke of their wings to pro- 

 pel the comparatively great weight and 

 bulk of their bodies. 



Where Do Wood Ducks Nest? 



Watertown, New York. 

 Dear Mr. Sawyer: — 



Please tell me where wood ducks 

 nest. Do they nest in trees? I have 

 heard the question discussed. 

 Yours truly, 



O. A. Severance. 



The wood duck nests in the cavity 

 of a tree trunk or branch nor is it the 

 only species of duck which does so. 

 The golden-eye is another tree-nesting 

 species. The wood duck shows a re- 

 markable fondness for a nesting site 

 once chosen, the pair returning year 

 after year to the same tree and cavity 

 which, by the way, may be a long way 

 from the nearest water. 



The portrait of Herbert K. Job, pub- 

 lished on page 251 of The Guide to 

 Nature for December, was lent to us 

 by the "Saturday Chronical," New 

 Haven, Connecticut. 



