54 BIRDS THROUGH AN OPERA-GLASS. 
of twine or gay worsted thrown on the grass is 
gladly accepted, and Nuttall once saw an oriole 
carry off a piece of lampwick ten or twelve feet 
long. 
In Northampton I witnessed an interesting case 
which proved that skill in nest making as well 
as other crafts comes by hard-earned experience, 
and, consequently, that manual training should 
be introduced into all bird schools! <A pair of 
young and inexperienced orioles fell in love and 
set out, with the assurance of most brides and 
grooms, to build a home for themselves. They suc- 
ceeded admirably in the selection of their build- 
ing site, but then the trouble began. The premise 
that all young lovers are weavers or architects 
sometimes leads to dire syllogistic conclusions. 
Was it the pressing business of the honeymoon 
that interfered with the weaving, or was it be- 
cause this young couple had not yet learned how 
to pull together that their threads got in a snarl 
and their gray pocket was all awry? Whatever 
the reason, the cradle was altogether too short to 
rock well, and was skewed up in such a fashion 
that some of the baby birds would have been sure 
of a smothering. Like Grimm’s clever Elsie the 
birds foresaw all these dangers, and actually left 
the completed nest to be tossed by the wind while 
they went off to try again in another place. It 
is believed to be unusual for two young birds to 
pair together. 
