BIRDS OF KANSAS. 529 



Iris dark brown; bill black, with basal half of under blue; 

 legs, feet and claws slate blue. 



These solitary birds inhabit the deep woods, and seldom fre- 

 quent the open grounds or habitations of man, and are therefore 

 but little known, except by the bird lover. In their food habits 

 and actions, they are very similar to the Ked-eyed. I have never 

 been so fortunate as to meet with them on their breediiip- 

 grounds, and therefore take pleasure in quoting from Mr. Gen- 

 try's interesting description of their nesting habits, etc., in his 

 "Life Histories of Birds of Pennsylvania." He says: 



"Although affecting a partiality for retired situations, it can- 

 not be considered a shy and timid species. Like many others 

 have done, as time advances it will become more familiar with 

 man. It is but three years ago since we first met this species 

 in this part of the country in anything like great numbers. 

 Last spring it was nearly as abundant as Vlreo oUvacem. As 

 the forests disappear, and new conditions are imposed upon its 

 environment, a change of nidification will be the inevitable re- 

 sult. 



"From observations extending over three years, we are sat- 

 isfied that the sexes arrive together. The females, being more 

 modest and retired than their mates and comparatively songless, 

 are less observed. In less than a fortnight after their arrival, 

 a site is chosen for a nest, which is a matter of some moment. 

 After a couple of days thus spent, a place is mutually agreed 

 upon, and nidification at once begun. This happens about the 

 20th of May, and sometimes as late as the 10th of June; about 

 the time, usually, when Quercus palustris has doffed its ripened 

 catkins, which are principally utilized in the construction of its 

 nest. Each nest is uniform in structure, and remarkably homo- 

 geneous in composition: where the tassels of the pin oak are 

 used, nothing else is to be found; where grass is the favorite ar- 

 ticle, as a species of Aira in exceptional cases, this alone is a 

 noticeable feature. 



"The nest is gracefully disposed between the bifurcating 

 branches of a twig, and presents a neat and cozy appearance. 

 The interior is comparatively even, and strictly symmetrically 



