[1903 W. T. Macoun — The Nesting of Birds. 27 



The chimney swift breeds in the chimneys of the houses and 

 comes back regularly every year. It is very seldom that these 

 birds are injured by fire. They do not begin nesting until the 

 furnace fires are out, and they seem to know by instinct, perhaps 

 by the smell of the soot, those chimneys from which smoke is 

 likely to come during the summer and they keep away from them. 



While a ruby-throated hummingbird's nest has not actually 

 been taken on the Farm to our knowledge, we believe this bird to 

 breed there as it is very common during the summer. A nest was 

 taken some years ago by Mr. W. E. Saunders in the woods near 

 the Farm. 



The kingbird breeds in the orchard in the apple trees, and 

 appears to take no trouble in hiding its nest which is readily seen. 

 It seems to rely on its pugnacity for keeping all intruders away, 

 and certainly it is sometimes alarming to have this little bird cry- 

 ing and darting about. The eggs of the kingbird are very beauti- 

 ful, in fact among the most beautiful of Canadian birds. The 

 kingbird is, we understand, fond of honey bees and it is difficult 

 to protect its nest if the bee man finds it out. 



It is possible that the phoebe has built somewhere in or about 

 the buildings on the Farm, but a nest has never been found to our 

 know'ledge. The woodpeewee also probably builds in the larger 

 trees. 



Among the first birds to arrive is the prairie horned lark, 

 which usually appears during the latter part of February and 

 begins breeding soon after the snow is off the ground. The nest 

 is built on the ground, usually in the open. There must be many 

 pairs breed on the Farm every year. A nest which was found in 

 the arboretum a few years ago was built in the ground close to a 

 large dandelion. 



The crow remains here all the year round and is frequently 

 seen during the winter months. It breeds early in spring in the 

 large pine trees. 



Bobolinks are fairly common in the meadows, but their nests 

 are hard to find and few of them are seen. It is one of our finest 

 singing birds, and it is fortunate that their nests are difficult to 

 discover, as boys have no discrimination. The cowbird, which is 

 closely related to the bobolink, is about as useless a bird as th.Q 



