JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



11 



ing", then the hummiDgbird needs make 

 no apology for its life, for who can es- 

 timate the aesthetic value of such a vis- 

 itor to our gardens, sometimes to our 

 very rooms, if some bright flower attract. 

 I have noticed among wild flowers the 

 jewel-weed, touch-me-not, specially fre- 

 quented by the hummingbirds, and last 

 summer one took possession of a group 

 of tiger lilies in my garden, and vocifer- 

 ously kept all intruders away. It was 

 interesting to watch the resulting con- 

 flicts, but in every case I think the in- 

 truder withdrew and left the field to the 

 one who could claim it by right of dis- 

 covery. 



Not only in food habits aud in guard- 

 ing ditfering plant life are birds botanists, 

 they show the knowledge of plant life in 

 the location and construction of their 

 nests, in the selection of the materials 

 out of which the nest is built. Everyone 

 knows that certain trees are frequented 

 by certain birds. The oriole is perhaps 

 the best known example. Its cradle or 

 hammock hung so securely on the droop- 

 ing limbs of the elm enfolds its eggs and 

 young in utmost safety from any or- 

 dinary danger. The tough pliant twigs 

 of the elm, bending, swaying, but not 

 breaking, are exactly suited to the pur- 

 pose, aud the oi'iole knows this and selects 

 them for his home with intelligent choice. 



At the opposite extremity from this 

 take the nest of the oven bird as an ex- 

 ample of protection by hiding rather than 

 by strength of position . I have seen two 

 of these nests, one shown me by a friend 

 now dead, Daniel Wing, whose name I 

 am glad to remember as that of an en- 

 thusiastic young naturalist, the other 

 nest one that I came upon myself when 

 searching for spring flowers. 



Putting my hand down to pick some 

 flovvers, from under my very touch almost 



there flew out that beautiful bird, the 

 golden crowned warbler, and its dain- 

 tily constructed and cunningly concealed 

 nest was at once revealed. The oven 

 bird is a botanist in its careful study and 

 imitation of surrounding vegetation. 



The hummingbird's nest is hidden with 

 a skill equally consummate. The inside 

 is fashioned of the finest and whitest 

 cotton or down — who can tell its source? 

 — while the outside is so fashioned like a 

 knot and so covered with lichens as com- 

 pletely to simulate a part of the tree it- 

 self. Other birds study fruits, flowers, 

 trees ; the hummingbird studies lichens 

 as well, a department of crvptogamic 

 botany. 



One of the most interesting instances 

 of botanical knowledge is the skill 

 with which the yellow warbler gets its 

 supply of dandelion down with which to 

 line its nest. 



The dandelion passes through three 

 stages ; one of full bloom, a second a 

 sort of chrysalis state in which the flow- 

 er is tightly closed and the seed ripening- 

 while the pappus or down lengthens and 

 sloughs off the flowers in a mass ; the 

 third the full globe of pappus. In the 

 last stage toattempt to gather the down 

 would result in securing but small por- 

 tions and scattering the mass, but by 

 coming in the second stage and tearing 

 open the involucre, a bird fills its bill at 

 once. 



These are a few instances of many, 

 but are sufficient to suggest a line of 

 thought and of observation that may be 

 interesting and profitable. 



Other associations of birds and flow- 

 ers may be suggestive : I like to remem- 

 ber, for instance, that my last trip three 

 miles out of town for the fringed gentians 

 gave me a view of a family of bluebirds 

 by the roadside in the same vicinity. 



