DICKCISSEL 167 



a second nesting attempt, after the mowers and reapers had taken 

 their toll of nests from the meadows and grain fields. One of the 

 nests found in a thorn bush early in the season was undoubtedly so 

 placed because of the wet, swampy condition of the nearby fields. 

 The nests in trees and hedges were at heights from about 2 feet to a 

 little more than 6 feet from the ground; the highest was in a tall 

 osage orange hedge. Albert J. Earn (1915) found a nest with four 

 eggs on Aug. 8, 1912, near Vinita, Okla., 14 feet up in a persimmon 

 tree. Though nests are sometimes placed at considerable distances 

 from the ground, these do not represent the typical or usual situation 

 in central Illinois. 



R. M. Anderson (1907) reports somewhat different nesting habits 

 of the dickcissel in Iowa: "Many observers give the species as building 

 its nest on the ground, but of the dozens of nests which I have examined 

 none were directly on the ground; a few were placed in clumps of 

 taU grass a few inches above the ground, several in Canada thistles, 

 and the majority in small bushes and low trees, rose bushes, willows, 

 wild crab, scrub oak, wild cherry, apple trees, etc., from a few inches 

 to three and one-half feet above the ground. July 11-12, 1902, 

 found four nests in a young orchard, all in small apple trees two or 

 three feet up * * *." 



The nests of the dickcissel are bulky and somewhat crude in general 

 appearance, but are substantial structures. They vary little in 

 size and shape; the average measurements of 10 typical nests are 

 as follows: outside diameter 12.2 cm., inside diameter 6 cm. by 6.8 

 cm., outside depth 6.3 cm., inside depth 4.6 cm. The materials 

 used seem to be those near at hand and vary according to the immedi- 

 ate surroundings. The exterior of the nest is usually composed of 

 coarse weed and grass stems, or cornstalk fibers interwoven with 

 a few leaves and grasses; the interior is lined with finer grasses, root- 

 lets, or hair. Some nests may be made up almost entirely of one 

 type of grass, including the lining. Though most nests are firm 

 and well made, those built weU above the gi'ound are often so in- 

 secm-ely attached to their support that the least disturbance may 

 dislodge them. Two nests under daily observation had to be tied 

 to the vines in which they were built to prevent an untimely end of 

 the yomig bu'ds. 



One nest was found in the process of construction. The female 

 gathered all the materials and performed all the work of building 

 and shaping the nest. All that the male contributed was his song, 

 which perhaps served as a som'ce of encouragement to his mate. 

 The nest was completed in 4 days and the first egg was laid 2 days 

 later. Unfortunately this nest was destroyed. Dr. Gordon C 

 Sauer (1953), who made a fine life history study of dickcissels near 



