THE WILSON QUARTERLY. 69 



Wis., nests may be found in almost any kind of trees or 

 bushes. In Iowa thistles are first choice, then the young 

 sumac, and lastly the topmost branches of young oaks and 

 elms. Thus the height from the ground may vary from 

 one foot to forty or fifty feet. 



The material of the nest seems to be very uniform the 

 country through, with unimportant differences for the dif- 

 ferent localities. Vegetable fibres, shreds of bark of as- 

 clepias, rootlets, grasses, fine leaves, horse-hair, wool, 

 thistle-down in nests made late, and other soft cottony ma- 

 terials are woven into a compact, neat nest. 



The nest is usually placed in an upright fork, the tough 

 fibres of the outer nest woven about the branches, securely 

 lashing the nest into the fork. In the tops of trees nests 

 are very firmly lashed. 



The usual number of eggs is four. But Mr. Stone has 

 found five not uncommonly, and six rarely. I have invari- 

 ably found four eggs in the nest both early and late. 



In color the eggs are uniform bluish-white, rarely with a 

 tint of green, and never spotted. 



The eggs hatch in twelve days from the time they are 

 laid, and the young leave tlie nest in fifteen days. The 

 young appear and leave the nest in exactly the order in 

 which the eggs were laid; one egg being laid each day. 



Late one October I found a nest of Goldfinch in the top- 

 most branches of an oak tree in which were the skeletons 

 and quill-feathers of three young birds. The parent birds 

 were probably killed, or the young drowned or chilled in a 

 severe storm. 



Why does Goldfinch wait until July and August to rear 

 its brood, when the other birds nest in May and June, 

 months apparently far better suited to brooding? Here is 

 food for thought and opportunity for investigation. 



Pooccefes grant ineus Vesper Sparrow. 



All observers know tiie Vesper Sparrow, or Grass Finch, 

 or Bay-winged Bunting. It is a common breeder to the 

 North, found only in winter or during the migrations at the 

 South. At Meridian, Wis., Mr. J. N. Clark finds it an 



