catbird conceal their nests in briar or thorn 
bushes, and are protected by their sharp, harass- 
ing thorns —'so sharp even the grown boy hesi- 
tates to investigate. 
Our dapper little goldfinch, actuated by like 
protective reasoning, conceals his pretty nest 
deep in the heart of an overgrown bull-thistle. 
Birds that build their nests on the ground in 
open fields—the meadow lark, the bobolink, 
and many of the sparrow families are safe- 
guarded by their ability to deceive the would-be 
discoverer by the extreme effort required to dis- 
cover the nest. Sometimes the nest of an open 
field bird is accidentally found, but as a rule the 
problem is a difficult one. 
The little field sparrow is an adept at making 
such problems. His method can scarcely be 
considered instinctive. 
The kingbird builds a nest far up some sturdy 
tree standing near a running stream or pool of 
water where insect life is abundant. He is an 
insectiverous bird, and destroys hordes of in- 
sect pests. The kingbird’s protective thought is 
in his ability to defend himself. * He is exceed- 
ingly antagonistic and a rabid advocate of pre- 
paredness. Woe betide the bird, great or small, 
that drives into his domain with evil intent. Not 
only is he defender of his own nest, but of the 
nests of the smaller birds in his neighborhood. 
The chebeck or least flycatcher, the hum- 
ming bird and the gray gnatcatcher saddle their 
nests on an outreaching branch of a thickly- 
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