A MIDSUMMER PRINCE. 229 
grasses, dry roots, lichens, long and slender mosses, and 
other advantageous materials often supplied by man’s art. 
Among different species the structures vary in shape from 
resembling a compact ball to nearly every bottle-shaped 
gradation of form, until they exceed three or four feet in 
length. Many species being gregarious, they breed numer- 
ously in the same vicinity or on the same tree, resembling 
in this and other respects the weaver-birds, to which they 
are closely allied. But for us our Baltimore’s nest possess- 
es the most attractions; and as I shall have much to say 
concerning this fine example of a bird’s architecture, I can- 
not begin better than by quoting Nuttall’s description of it. 
It would be impossible for me to say anything different, 
and as well: 
“Tt is begun by firmly fastening natural strings of the 
flax of the silk-weed, or swamp hollyhock, or stout artificial 
threads, around two or more forked twigs, corresponding to 
the intended width and depth of the nest. With the same 
materials, willow down, or any accidental ravellings, strings, 
thread, sewing-silk, tow, or wool that may be lying near the 
neighboring houses or around grafts of trees, they inter- 
weave and fabricate a sort of coarse cloth into the form 
intended, toward the bottom of which they place the real 
nest, made chiefly of lint, wiry grass, horse and cow hair: 
