14 



THE OREGON NATURALIST. 



importani part of Phoebe architecture inny be 

 obtaineil. The nests are usually circular at the 

 top and tiie external depth differs but little from 

 the average diameter, 3 inches. The lateral 

 walls are about j^ inch thick; while the bottom 

 is firmly laid with a thickness of three times 

 that of the sides. 



The materials of which the nests are com- 

 posed differ considerably with the locality. 

 Usually, however, the groundwork is of thick 

 grasses, roots, and small twigs which are plas- 

 tered to the supports and to each other by 

 pellets of mud and moss; next comes a layer of 

 hair, fine grasses, or feathers; the final layer is 

 of fine wool or lint, eveiy thing in this future 

 home being woven and interwoven with the 

 greatest of engineering skill. Occasionally, 

 especially if there be a late spring, I have 

 noticed that they weave pieces of paper in*o the 

 nest. This is with some intention as our north- 

 ern builders have when when they place build- 

 ing-paper between the outer and inner walls of 

 our houses as a piote -tion against the cold, yet 

 in the one case n s > ictated by Re:isoR, while, 

 in the other, merely by blind Instinct! 



I remember trying, on one occasion, an 

 experiment with the eggs of the Bridge Swallow 

 and the Phoebe. These birds had built their 

 nests within tw ■ Teet of each other, the Swallows 

 upon the rafteis of a bridge, while the Phoebes 

 chose, for their building site, the top of an old 

 bridge-pile that stood under the bridge. The 

 eggs, by some chance, had been laid about the 

 same time, so that, by the time I discovered 

 the nests, 1 found, by blowing an egg from each 

 nest, that the incubation was about yi advanced. 

 Bethinking myself to play a trick upon the old 

 birds, I changed the eggs. "Great fun 'twill 

 be," I thought, "the Bridge Swallows will be 

 forever exhorting their young ones to grow more, 

 while the Phoebes will be hard worked to pro- 

 vide for their over-sized brood." 



Several days after, I came to look at the nests. 

 Everything was calm and serene; the eggs had 

 just hatched and but little difference could be 

 distinguished between the two birds; if a fond 

 parent paused to notice that one of the young 



birds did not look exactly as one descended from 

 a long line of the noble Hiruiiiiincs or from liii; 

 ancient race of the Phoebes, ought to look ii' 

 order to do credit to his ancestors, I suppose he 

 consoled himself with the thought that all the 

 birds in the nest were alike, ergo, everything must 

 be alright. 



My work did not allow me to revisit the 

 sceneofmy oological (or ornithological, which?) 

 experiment for some time. When at last I went 

 there again, a very ditferent sight greeted my 

 eyes. The young birds were now learniii^; to T.y. 

 The anxious cries of the elder Phoebes as 1 hey 

 saw one of their IJiidge Swallows in my liands, 

 produced no effect upon the birdlet that I held 

 but brought all the little Phoebes out of their 

 nest on the rafters of the bridge, to the great 

 distress of Father and Mother Bridge Swallow. 

 The young birds did not know their foster 

 parents' langugage! The old birds then raised 

 such a clamor that I retired, abashed. Two 

 parent birds fiying about his head, uttering 

 piercing cries of distress and dashing towards 

 his face in frantic endeavors to pick out his eyes, 

 or with some equally dire intent, are about 

 enoughforany bold intruder; but who can with- 

 stand twice that number! 



I determined to visit the place that night to 

 see how the birds settled themselves, I was 

 not able to carry out my plan that night, but the 

 next found me on the spot with a lantern. 



Mr. and Mrs. Bridge Swallow still occupied 

 their home on the rafters but there were no 

 young birds with them. On the top of the old 

 pile. I found four little Bridge Swallows 

 huddled together, but "no father or mot or 

 had they." No trace could be found of the 

 Phoebes, old or young. 



Roy a. Cook. 



Independence, Iowa. 



While Spokane, \V.is:i., is iiiiioducing 

 Mountain Quail, Bob-while and l)cnn> Pheas- 

 ants. Equally as good native game l)iids 

 appeir to be over-looked, namely Sooty Grou.se, 

 Ruffed Grouse and Sharp-tailed Giouse; not 

 mentioning Sage Hens. 



