238 P.TLLETIN UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA 



the yellow warl)ler is a noteworthy example. It is usually made in an 

 upright crotch of small branches, from five to fifteen feet from the 

 ground. The materials chosen are of a grayinsh color. The predomi- 

 nating substance is fine dried grass, woven together with downy fibers, 

 shreds of weed-bark, fragments of gossamer, and horsehair. The pecu- 

 liar feature of this nest is the neatness of the interior finish. Frequently 

 one is found that is lined throughout with white vegetable material as 

 smoothly as if satin or morocco were used. 



As a distinct type, the nest (Fig. 19), of the vireos is interesting in 

 several ways. The site is unique, being invarably a horizontal or droop- 

 ing fork of twigs near the extremity of a branch, from six to twenty feet 

 from the ground. It is a swinging cradle firmly attached by its brim, 

 without motion in itself yet swaying with every impulse of the passing 

 breeze. The outer wall of the nest is very loosely arranged in an irregu- 

 lar covering of fibrous shavings, strippings of bark, gossamer, and pieces 

 of hornet paper. The bedding of the nest is fine dried grass of a wiry 

 texture. The foregoing descripton is alike applicable to the nests of the 

 red-eyed and warbling viero, the only representatives of the vieros in the 

 Flathead region. The external materials of the nest of the red-eyed vireo 

 is generally more loosely disposed, the cavity is somewhat larger, and the 

 structure as a whole averages larger than the nest of the warbling vireo, 

 otherwise no difference is observable. 



In this locality the cedar wax-wing constructs a nest (Fig. 20), of an 

 interesting type. It is generally placed near the top of a small ever- 

 green tree, or near the extremity of a horizontal low branch of a larger 

 evergreen. The foundation of the structure is a loose mass of dried 

 grass and small twigs. The walls are made almost wholly of dark green 

 lichen, pinned firmly together with pine needles and smaller twigs. Fre- 

 quently the nest has a lining of fine wiry grass. This type of nest is 

 characteristic of the cedar wax-wing in the northern evergreen forests. 



One of the most abundant birds of this region is the lazuli bunting, 

 the western representative of the familiar indigo bunting of eastern habi- 

 tat. The nest of this bunting is made in low bushes, from two to five 

 feet from the ground. It is a type in its simplicity, being made of coarse 

 dried grass and weed fibres, lined with fine grasses and horsehair, the 

 main elements being of a grayish white color. The walls are loosely 

 woven, and the nest is rather large for the size of the owner. 



The nest of the black-headed grosbeak is a type because of its loose 

 arrangement and frail structure. The ordinary site is the top of a large, 

 loosely-spreading bush, a small evergreen tree, or the top of a low thorn 

 tree. In such situations the eggs can generally be seen from below, as 

 the nest materials are so loosely woven that the bottom is comparable to 

 a net of several folds to retain the egg^. The affair is made of dark- 

 colored twigs and rootlets, and is usually lined with finer rootlets of a 

 darker color, or with fine grasses of similar hue. Last season a nest of 

 grosbeak was found lined with fine moss-stems of a reddish brown color, 

 the effect being a very handsome nest. The nest is so frail that the 

 materials readily fall apart, or the twigs drop away one by one. 



The familiar chipping sparrow constructs a nest of simple yet original 



