THE OSPKEY. 



87 



Blue-gray Gnat-catchers and five single birds; 



but it was late in the afternoon before I found 

 signs of a nest, this was nest number one on 

 the diagram, and was then hardly more than 

 begun. A few minutes later I found nest num- 

 ber two in a dead tree, and about half an hour 

 later Mr. Hasbrouck found number three in a 

 cedar. These last nests were finished except 

 the lining on which we found the females busily 

 at work. 



On the evening of May 11th. we again visited 

 the locality expecting to get the eggs and nests 

 but met with disappointment, boys having 

 evidently found and poked down nests one 

 and two, while of number three the male bird 

 had been accidentally killed on our first trip, 

 and the female had deserted the nest. 



tin May 13th. I determined to try again, and 

 this time spent the day in the woods immedi- 

 ately north of Mount Vernon. Late in the after- 

 noon I found nest number four, and soon after 

 number five. Each of these contained live eggs, 

 several of each set being fairly well incubated. 



The interesting occupation of nest building 

 can be observed by simply keeping quiet. Both 

 birds work industriously and usually arrive 

 together at the site with material; one will then 

 deposit its load and shape it while the other ^iis 

 patiently by awaiting its turn. While the nest is 

 b.tilding the bird stands in the center of the site 

 selected and deposits tile material as far as it 

 can reach, then moving its head first on one side 

 and then on the other stretching the material 

 over a small arc of a circle the radius of which 

 is determined by the somewhat flexible length 

 of the bird from its center of gravity to its bill. 



When the body of the nest is completed small 

 pieces of lichens are fastened on the outside 

 with spider webs, so that the entire outside of 

 the nest, the rim and a little of the inside espe- 

 cially around the rim are completely covered with 

 these small pieces of lichens all with very few 

 exceptions being placed right side out and 

 right side up. While nest building the birds, 

 especially the males, keep up an almost continual 

 twittering or chattering, in fact it would seem 

 that the male would rather sing- than work thus 

 leaving- more than half to he done by the female: 

 but I did see the males do some work though 

 only the females were seen to do the finishing 

 part. 



The bulk of the nest is constructed of the tine 

 branches of the flowering' parts . if grasses mixed 

 with the woolly parts of various plants and the 

 glumes of grasses, the whole held together and 

 bound by the liberal use of spider webs. The 

 lining consists of fine grass tops, some woolly 

 fibres and a few feathers from the birds them- 

 selves. 



The birds work incessantly until the nest is 

 completed: eight visits have been counted in 

 fifteen minutes. The lining is completed last 

 and the nest is then ready for the eggs. 



In examining a series of Blue-gray (in. it- 

 catchers one is impressed with the fact that 

 there is almost no variation among them. 



It seems to be what might well be called a 

 finished species and in its habits, song and 

 shape is distinct from any other species of our 

 avifauna. 



The nests are all built on the same plan and of 

 tin- same materials, and are as near as nests can 

 be exactly alike: but between certain extremes 

 there is quite a variation in the size and mark- 

 ings of the eggs which may possibly be due to 

 the different ages of the individuals laying 

 them. 



In the selection of a nesting- site however, 

 do we find that the birds display a great deal 

 of variation, ingenuity and possibly selective 

 ability. 



The locations of the nests were as follows: 



No. 1. on oak at edge of swamp, 15 feet from 

 the ground. 



No. 2. on top of dead tree in wood near water, 

 18 feet from the ground. 



No. 3. on cedar 100 feet from water, 10 feet 

 from the ground. 



No. 4. on nearly dead oak in swam]), 23 feet 

 from the ground. 



No. 5, on oak over path near water. 15 feet 

 from the ground. 



It was especially noticed that four of these 

 nests were placed on more or less horizontal 

 branches in .such a way that one or more smaller 

 branches crossed over the center of the nests 

 only a few inches above, in the same direction 

 as the nest bearing branch. Nest number two. 

 placed in a crotch by the side of the trunk, had 

 the small branch passing through the rim of 

 the nest and prolonged for some distance in a 

 nearly vertical line. 



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LOCATION UK BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER'S 



XEST. 



The object of such placing of the nests may 

 possibly be protective as seen from above, these 

 nests being- invariably placed on the lowest 

 branches of the trees. 



The branches over the nest would possibly 

 prevent a would-be marauder from seeing the 

 eggs or sitting bird. It is by looking down- 

 wards that most birds procure their food and 

 thus nests so placed may be unseen by a Jay, 



