256 Bird -Lore 



nest is seldom detached by the strongest wind, so tautly are its edges woven 

 to and about the supporting branch. 



In localities where the chestnut is common, the Acadian's cradle is cun- 

 ningly trimmed with tassels from this particular tree, giving a characteristic 

 touch which the keen observer will not fail to recognize. 



And here it might be said that the study of nest-architecture and decora- 

 tion from the standpoint of botany is extremely instructive, since birds make 

 use of such a variety of vegetative materials in building their nests. 



The deep closely woven cradles of the Orioles suggest strength and pattern 

 as their main features of interest. Collect an old nest of this kind and try to 

 tear it apart, to test its strength, or to unravel it, to discover its pattern of 

 weaving. 



But so manifold are the variations and specific differences in the nests of 

 birds that space is lacking to more than point the way to this fascinating part 

 of bird-study. 



The following comparative catalogue of the nesting-sites and materials 

 used by the different orders of our North American birds may serve to illus- 

 trate more graphically than any further description the almost endless variety 

 displayed in this important part of the birds' activities. 



Comparative Catalogue of Nesting-Sites and Materials Used by 

 the Different Orders of North American Birds 



I. Beginning with the Diving Birds, we find that some place their nests among 

 rushes of a slough or tule-lake, others on the ground, often on a muskrat house near 

 water; while others select a crevice in the rocks, or make a burrow in the ground, or lay 

 their eggs on a bare ledge on some rocky islet. As these birds are aquatic by habit, the 

 slight nesting material used by certain species is selected from the stems and leaves of 

 aquatic plants or decaying and water-soaked vegetation in the vicinity. Certain other 

 species merely make a small hollow in the ground or elsewhere, using no materials for a 

 lining to the cavity. 



II. We may look for the nests of the Long-winged Swimmers on the ground of 

 moors or tundras, on rocky cliffs, in grassy or reedy marshes, on islands, on stumps, 

 or in bushes and trees, on the salt marshes of the coast, on tussocks of grass, or simply 

 on the ground, unless disturbed, when certain individuals have been known to select a 

 nesting-site in tall trees. 



These nests may be simply unlined depressions in the ground, or lined with a few 

 grasses, shells or pebbles, or sometimes they may be made of moss, seaweed, sticks, 

 flags and leaves, with grass and feathers for lining. 



III. The nesting-habits of some of the Tube-nosed Swimmers are unknown; but 

 certain species of this order nest in holes in rocks, on ledges of rocky cliffs, or in burrows 

 under rocks, fashioning a scanty cradle for their eggs with a few grasses and feathers. 



IV. The Totipalmate Swimmers are extremely interesting with respect to their 

 choice of a nesting-site, for we find some seeking holes in rocks or cliffs, others nesting 

 on the ground, still others selecting low bushes or high trees; while a certain few show a 

 decided preference for mangrove and cypress swamps. 



The nests of these large birds are very primitive in structure, like those of the pre- 



