10 



THE OOLOGIST 



two in length. It is said the birds break 

 oft' the twigs while on the wing, preferring 

 these to those which may be tbnnd lying 

 on the gronnd. All who have seen the 

 nest have expressed wonder at its skillful 

 constriiftion ; for, though the material is 

 plain, the working of the twigs into a shape- 

 ly basket surely requires the ingenuity which 

 only a bird can bestow. One of the most 

 noticeable features about the nest is its firm 

 adhesion to the support — brick or board. 

 This is eftected by a salivary secretion of 

 the bird, which, when dry, is exceedingly 

 strong and tough, so much so that we have 

 peeled large splinters from the boards to 

 which the nests were attached on removing 

 the latter. The twigs are held together 

 entirely by this glue-like secretion, for with- 

 out it the nest would fall iu pieces. The 

 strength of the substance may be inferred, 

 when it is considered that the weight of 

 nest, young and parent must be sustained 

 by the adhesion of the sticks to their sup- 

 port, a mechanical principle being involved 

 which all know requires many times the 

 strengtii of a simple support, placed direct- 

 ly under the mass. The twigs are not put 

 together so compactly but one may general- 

 ly see through the whole affair, its thickness 

 seldom exceeding 1.25 inches. Examina- 

 tion shows that three difterent woods are 

 used in one nest and four in another, where- 

 as some writers have stated its preference 

 for and sole selection of maple twigs ; the 

 locality probably has much to do with the 

 selection. Most nests incline downward 

 somewhat, the outer edge being from 15*^ 

 to 25° lower than the same part at its sup- 

 port ; occasionally one will be found which 

 stands out at right angles from the vertical 

 surface. 



Four eggs constitute the set. They av- 

 erage .80 by .50 inch, are rather " square- 

 ly " and oblongly ovoidal, and are white, 

 without markings. Fresh sets may be 

 looked for about the first of June ; the 

 young appear during the middle of the 

 month and are soon able to leave the nest. 

 Some of the farmers whose buildings these 

 birds inhabit state that the nests are used 



every year for a number of seasons, and 

 that the young return in spring with the 

 old birds. 



Nest and Eggs of the Tufted 

 Titmouse. 



[Ingersoll's "Nests and Eggs of Am. Birds," p. 44.] 

 HTHIS lively bird belongs to the eastern 

 ■'- United States, moving north not beyond 

 the Connecticut valley iu the east and Tex- 

 as and Nebraska in the west ; southward 

 it reaches to Florida. It is resident thro'- 

 out its extent, and is more familiar and 

 jfrominent in winter than in summer, al- 

 though always more retiring than the Chick- 

 adee. 



Perhaps in the same manner as the Blue 

 Bird, the Tufted Tit has come to build its 

 nest in holes in trees, or in old Woodpeck- 

 ers' galleries ; yet often chisels out a hole 

 in hard wood for itself. 



At the bottom of this cavity, upon a 

 shapeless, though soft and warm bed, the 

 eggs are laid ; in Virginia by the middle 

 of April, and in Ohio and New Jersey a- 

 bout May 1 . Generally choosing some re- 

 mote forest tree for a home, the birds con- 

 ceal its location with great care, but occa- 

 sionally come into the orchard to spend the 

 summer. I have even heard of one case 

 where they attempted to nestle in a garden 

 bird-box, but were driven away by Blue 

 Birds. The six or eight ejrgs are rounded- 

 oval in shape, measure .75 by .56 of an 

 inch, and are white, densely sprinkled with 

 fine rust-colored dots, with a few larger 

 markings of lilac. 



A single brood is brought out in a sea- 

 sou. In July the young birds are fledged 

 and the whole family hunt together during 

 the fall and winter. Possibly this long and 

 careful tuition on the part of the parents 

 contributes to the hardy character and good 

 sense that seem to me to distinguish this 

 bird. 



Westei?n and southern collectors have 

 greatly enriched their cabinets this season. 



