ORNITHOLOGY 



49 



A Meadowlark Nest. 



1!Y 11. VV. WiaSGKRnivR, SAl.l'.M, OHIO. 



The meadowlark may not be, strictly 

 speaking-, an "oven" nest builder, but 



THE MEADOWLARK NEST. 



the nest shown in the picture certainly 

 belies that reputation. 



Dawson in his "Birds of Ohio" says : 

 "The nests are frequently arched over 

 with dried grasses." The one shown 

 was so completely "arched" that it had 

 a side entrance, but not quite the tunnel 

 of the ovenbird's nest. In fact, there 

 was more than is shown in the picture, 

 for the front straws had to be pushed 

 back a little to exhibit the eggs. The 



straws were replaced so, as to conceal 

 the nest as much as possible. 



The other picture is of the same nest 

 to show the young- birds. It was taken 

 a day before they left the nest that had 

 sheltered them for the previous two 

 weeks. But by this time the "arch" had 

 been opened, for the old birds had an 

 exit at the top as well as at the side. It 

 had also been enlarged somewhat as the 

 young birds grew and formed the grass 

 walls outward. The picture shows it to- 

 be a "full house;" in fact, there was no 

 vacant space "for rent" or otherwise. 



A Beautiful Nest. 



BY REVEREND MANLEY B- TOWNSEND, 

 NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



On June 25th the writer found a red- 

 eyed vireo's nest that seems worthy of 

 note. It was built in the fork of a blos- 

 soming mountain laurel, not over four 

 feet from the ground, on the shore of a 

 little lake in Hallis, New Hampshire, and 

 contained two newly hatched young and 

 one egg in the last stages of incubation. 

 The remarkable thing about it was the 

 beauty of the nest and its environment. 

 The laurel, in the full glory of its won- 

 derful bloom, was growing under the 

 shelter of tall trees, and the nest was so 

 well hidden that not until the bird flew 

 from beneath the hand as the laurel was 

 examined was the nest discovered. It 

 was an exquisite afifair, a basket swung 

 from a forked branch, closely woven of 

 plant fibres of delicate texture, and firmly 

 caught and fastened to the supporting 

 twigs. The (birds evidently possessed 

 an aesthetic sense, for they had decorated 

 the exterior with bleached spider's web- 

 bing and narrow strips of white birch 

 bark. The eflfect was extremely beautiful 

 — the lovely nest and the splendid laurel 

 blooms made a combination to enrapture 

 th.e soul of any lover of natural beauty. 



October. 



THE YOUNG MEADOWLARKS. 



BY LOUISE WHITE WATSON, FALLSINGTON, PA. 



I heard a song afloat in air, 



And gazing into tree-top bare, 



I saw the songster's tiny throat 



Astir with life. Its every note 



Was tuned to benediction, praise 



For heaven-born October days. 



I listened, lived. — all cares gave way 



At jovoiis burst of roundelay. 



O, song-bird sweet, to thee was given 



To chord earth's song in tune with heaven. 



