460 BULLETIN 2 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



from view. Indeed the nests are so well hidden that they are difficult 

 to find except by flushing the bird; this often occurs by accident. 



Miss Cordelia Stanwoocl, in an unpublished account, describes a nest 

 and a nesting site of an ovenbird near Ellsworth, Maine, as follows : 

 "The cavity in the ground in which the nest was located was about 

 1 inch deep in the center. Around the edge of the excavation were 

 maple leaves, and pine needles. The ground was swampy, covered with 

 sphagnum moss, white birch and maple leaves, sensitive and Xew York 

 ferns. The nest was located among maples and white birches adjoin- 

 ing some evergreens. The growth was thick overhead but open under- 

 foot. The saucer part of the nest, level with the ground, was made of 

 pine needles and dead leaves. It was roofed over with pine needles, 

 dead leaves, fern, moss, stipes of ferns and bracken, and the fruit stems 

 of maples; it was nicely lined with horsehair. Two sensitive fern 

 fronds had grown through the nest, and the little mound of dry leaves 

 and moss was in no wise distinguishable from its surroundings." 



The width of the nest averages about 614 inches but the leaves and 

 nesting materials may extend for about 9 inches. The height of the 

 nest ranges from 4I/2 to 5 inches. The cavity is small as compared to 

 the exterior, usually measuring less than 3 inches in diameter. The 

 opening is about 1% inches high and 2^ inches wide. 



The female is responsible for selecting the nesting site and for 

 building the nest. While the female is busily engaged in building, 

 the male lends moral encouragement by singing ; he guards the terri- 

 tory and gives the alarm whenever an intruder appears. He seldom 

 visits the nest during the course of construction but is a constant at- 

 tendant and assists in feeding the young after they appear. Accord- 

 ing to H.W.Hann (1937) : 



The female clears the leaves from a circular spot, by pushing them back, 

 raising up the edges, and perhaps removing some. She then, in some cases, 

 digs up the ground, leaving fresh soil on the surface, and may remove some soil 

 or push it aside. * * * Nesting material is then carried and placed around 

 the edge of the hole, chiefly on the back side, and the covering is extended over 

 the top. The work is done almost entirely from the inside, but evidently a few 

 leaves are placed on top and arranged from the outside. * * * The last 

 material to be added to the nest is the hair, and the presence of this indicates 

 a finished nest. The hair is often added a day or more after the remainder is 

 finisiied, and doubtless causes the female considerable searching. 



Ovenbirds will sometimes desert their nest when disturbed, espe- 

 cially at the time when the nest is under construction or the eggs in the 

 early stages of incubation. However, in correspondence received from 

 Dr. Paul Harrington, he reports flushing a bird from a nest at Birch 

 Point, Toronto, in which the whole dome or top had been torn off 

 (probably by cattle) and carried about 10 feet away. The bird con- 

 tinued incubation apparently unconcerned by its exposed condition. 



