HOW I HELPED BUILD A NEST. 181 



any more, but I meant her no harm and the fever 

 for experiment possessed my blood. I tied some 

 of the straws to a piece of wicking and baited it 

 with feathers, thinking that perhaps she would 

 take the straws for the sake of the feathers and 

 wickina*. I also stuffed the hole with horsehair. 

 She did pull at the feather end of the line ; I saw 

 the straw jerk, and, when she had left, found a 

 round hole the brave little bird had made right 

 through the middle of the mat of horsehair I had 

 stopped the nest with. 



Straws and horsehair the titmouse evidently 

 classed together. They were not on her list of 

 building materials. On reflection she decided 

 that the horsehair would make a good hall car- 

 pet, so left it in the vestibule, though she would 

 have none of it down in her nest ; but she calmly 

 threw my straws down on the ground at the foot 

 of the oak. 



I don't know what experiments I might have 

 been tempted to try next had I not suddenly found 

 myself dismissed — the house was complete. My 

 pretty Quaker lady sat in the shade of the oak 

 leaves with crest raised and the flickering sunlight 

 flecking her gray breast. She pecked softly at 

 one of the white feathers that blew up against 

 her as she listened to the song of her mate ; and 

 then flew away to him without once going to the 

 nest. Evidently her work was done, and she was 

 waiting till it should be time to begin brooding. 



