136 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



Lo, here is a tree, the trunk of which is nearly dead, and about ten 

 feet from the ground there is a home of a Woodpecker, a Bluebird or a 

 Flycatcher. It must be the latter for both birds are loud in their dem- 

 onstrations, flying into the tree and darting around in a most excited 

 manner. But how am I going to reach the nest? My girlhood days 

 for climbing trees are over and I shall have to gain my knowledge 

 second hand. 



As the minister is considerably taller than his wife and far more 

 agile he scales the tree and by making the opening a little larger is 

 able to insert his hand. He finds the nest and birds but is unable to 

 see them. There were three at least only a few days old. 



My first question, "Is there a snake skin in the nest?" has to go un- 

 answered till a couple of weeks later when I visit the nest again. The 

 birds have flown and I consider it no robbery to gain possession of the 

 coveted nest. The stump is broken off and the prize secured. Is my 

 curiosity to be satisfied? No, the proverbial snake skin is not in it, 

 but what do I find? Some hair and porcupine quills. 



A nest made of grasses and leaves, lined with a barred feather of 

 some barnyard fowl and the hair and even quills of the porcupine. 

 Did the birds think this combination would answer m place of a snake 

 skin? Who can say? 



On the same day I also found another nest while not so unique in 

 its construction was something of a curiosity for its location. In a de- 

 serted house a wooden pail was hanging on a nail, and through the 

 broken windows some eave swallows had found entrance to the room 

 and built their nest attached to the side and also outside of the pail. 

 Indications seemed to show that the little family had been safely rais- 

 ed and made their entrance successfully into the outside world. 



In regard to unusual nesting sites I would say that there is a robin 

 that has built her nest on one of the cross braces of the wooden trestle 

 of the Hudson Valley Railway Co., over the Hudson River at this 

 place. The nest is directly under the rail, and only about one foot 

 below the top of it, and cars pass over it every twenty minutes. The 

 bridge is also used by a number of pedestrians, and, although it is not 

 planked, but entirely open, the robin remains on the nest while they 

 are passing on the ties, the tops of which are only eight inches above 

 her. I have not noted whether she remains on while the cars are 

 passing over, or not. A robin built in practically the same location 

 last year, but did not hatch the eggs, as she was disturbed for a num- 

 ber of days by workmen repairing the bridge. 



Elliott Simpson. 



