CHAPTER XVIII. 
FASTIDIOUS NESTING HABITS OF A FEW BIRDS. 
Berrore leaving the subject of nests, it might be 
well to notice a few instances of a certain fastidious- 
ness in building and some other peculiarities. No 
attempt at even mentioning all could be hoped for. 
The topic of nests alone is a specialty in ornithology. 
Mr. Darwin had considerable trouble in convine- | 
ing the world that birds exercised choice in selecting 
their mates, but the most casual observer may note 
how very fastidious they are in choosing the proper 
location and material for their homes—especially the 
latter. Even such a sloven builder as our dove has 
been seen to pick up and reject as many as half a 
dozen straws before finding one to suit. 
After a certain substance is once chosen, however, 
bird’s continue to use that from a certain definite 
region. Thus a Dick-cissel (black-throated bunting) 
selected one year all her straws from the midst of a 
meadow which seemed to the observer to have the 
same material on its nearer edge. It may be just pos- 
sible that a convenient dead weed on which her mate 
sat and sang while she worked had something to do 
with it, for he went with her to the neighborhood of 
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