NEST BUILDING 295 



dark nest material with white paper, white birch 

 fringes, and snowy cobweb. All of these nests 

 would have been almost impossible to distinguish 

 from their surroundings, had it not been for the 

 lavish use of conspicuous material. 



Shrikes use so many chicken feathers around 

 their nest rims that they sometimes infest their 

 young with lice, and one shrike nest I reproduced 

 had a roll of grey wool at the top. 



One kingbird nest was conspicuous on account 

 of the use of large tufts of black and white wool 

 and cotton cord strung around but serving no pur- 

 pose. Wood thrushes and chats use cast snake 

 skins, which are showier than most nest material. 

 These skins are no component part of the nest, but 

 festooned over the outside as an ornament; and so 

 far as I can learn, are used only by these birds and 

 crested flycatchers which build in hollow trees. It 

 has been suggested that these birds use the snake 

 skin as a means of protection to their nests, but 

 this grants the birds power to plan and think. 

 However, there is some reason why only these 

 three birds use the skins, which I frequently find 

 afield but never in the nests of other birds. Very 

 peculiar things, which evidently have been carried 

 from houses some distance away, can be found in 

 quite secluded nests. 



Many women can testify to having had orioles 

 snatch bits of bright ribbon and yarn for weav- 

 ing into nests from work baskets left on veran- 



