olqqi 



OCTOBER, 1879. 



No. 4. 



Baby Bobolink's Cradle 



Woven of grasses dry and brown, 

 With a sprig of clover here and there, 



A cosy liniug of thistle-down 

 And a feather dropped from a bird in air. 



This is the cradle, dainty and fine. 

 Love hides away in the meadow sweet, 



Down, deep down, and never a sign 

 To tempt too near little wayward feet. 



Down, deep down, in the blossoming grass, 



That rustles dreamily all day long. 

 And only the yellow butterflies pass 



And the green-gold bees with theii- hum-drum 

 ' song. 



Golden buttercups lean above, 

 And daisies white with hearts all gold, 



Golden lily-bells nod their love, 

 And the golden sunshine all doth fold. 



What wonder young Bobolink springs to air 

 With flecks of light in his plumage caught ! 



W' hat wonder his song's a medly I'are 

 Of all things golden and free and fair, 

 And a song with ecstacy fraught ! 



L. G. Warner, I'ticii, Obncrver. 



Eggs and Nest of Carpodacus 

 purpureus. 



''rnOU(iII tills species may be considered 

 soinevvliat boreal, both in general dis- 

 tribution and in it.s breeding, a j.n-eat many 

 nest regularly in the Northern States. They 

 nidificate rather abundantly in swampy 

 places, where most of the trees are scrubi»y 

 tamaracks, in the top of which they place 

 the nest. The thick, dark clump of twigs 

 and leaves which forms the summit of the 

 tree, and in which the bird manages usual- 

 ly to build its nest, is often almost impene- 



trable, and it is difficult to tell, from the 

 ground, whether it conceals a uest or not. 

 A good clue to the truth is the presence of 

 one or both of ihe birds on some neighbor- 

 ing tree. The ornamental evergreens about 

 houses and lawns furnish a good nesting 

 place for tliis species, and they invariably 

 place their domicile near or in the top of 

 the tree, where it is quite eftectually screened 

 from observation. 



The uest is built rather coarsely of grass- 

 es, stems, wiry stalks, black rootlets and 

 horse-hair, the last used principally as a 

 lining. These materials are often worked 

 into and about the twigs which support it, 

 in such a way as to make removal impos- 

 sible ; and it is not often that a nest can be 

 taken away entire. The uest is about the 

 size of that of the Song Sparrow — perhaps 

 not quite as large. Occasionally the nest 

 will exhibit a few small, dry leaves, a little 

 birch-bark and the coarser parts of weeds 

 and plants, but we have never seen feath- 

 ers used. So thick is the mass of twigs 

 investing the nest, that sometimes the birds 

 are obliged to approach it through a small 

 opening no larger than one's hand, all oth- 

 er means of ingress being closed. During 

 the nesting season, the male utters a quick, 

 jerky, trilled note at intervals ; and this is 

 not infrequently a good indication by which 

 the collector may judge of the proximity of 

 the nest. 



The eggs are four or five ; oftener four. 

 The ground color is light green, over which 

 are scattered munerous dots and spots of 

 black and brown, the bulk on the larger 

 cud or in an irregidar, somewhat indistinct 

 ring about it. In all respects except as to 

 size, the egg resembles that of Spizella so- 

 cialis — the former is about the size of a 

 Song Sparrow's. 



