The Birds' Calendiir 



building is much larger than one might sup- 

 pose, owing to the peculiarities in architecture, 

 the difference of the supplies afforded in differ- 

 ent localities, and probably, too, something 

 must be allowed for their individual tastes. 

 The following variety is to be found in the 

 nests of our own region : grasses, leaves, weeds, 

 fibrous roots, sticks, twigs, outer bark of grape- 

 vine, cedar-bark, fine fir branches, cranberry 

 fibre, dry plants of various kinds, pine needles, 

 rushes, sedges, mosses, lichens, seaweed, hay, 

 wool, tow, cottony substance of fern stems, 

 straw, horse-hair, feathers (sometimes of the 

 bird itself), down of thistle and other seeds, 

 fine hair of various animals, silky vegetable 

 fibre, willow-down, wool of cotton-grass, cater- 

 pillar's silk, pieces- of the nests of hornets and 

 spiders, hogs' bristles, strings of silkweed-flax, 

 artificial thread, sewing -silk, strips of paper, 

 snake-skins, mud, turf, pebbles, clam and oys- 

 ter shells (in the case of the kill-deer plover), 

 and in several species the saliva of the bird, to 

 serve as glue for binding the parts together. 



A bird is supposed to have little interest 

 in its nest, apart from the eggs or the young 

 actually contained therein. But I have heard 

 of a curious instance of sentiment (quite like- 



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