16 THE SECOND BOOK OF BIRDS 
The Biur-cray GNATCATCHER is a slim little 
bird, with a rather long tail. He is bluish gray, 
with some white and black on head, wings, and 
tail, and he is grayish white below. 
He has a sweet song, but it 1s so low you have 
to be very near and very quiet to hear it. He 
is such a talkative, restless fellow, however, that 
you often see him when you might not hear the 
song. 
The gnatcatcher is one of the most lively of 
birds. He bustles about in an eager way that 
shows everybody where to look for the nest. 
And when there is no nest, he flits over the tree- 
tops, catching tiny flying insects, and uttering a 
queer call that sounds something lke the mew 
of a cat. He does not need to be so quiet as 
birds who build on the ground or near it, be- 
cause few can get at the nest. It is too high 
for snakes and boys, and on branches too light 
for squirrels or big birds. So he can afford to 
be as chatty as he pleases. 
The nest of this bird is one of the prettiest 
that is made. It is a little cup, upright on a 
branch, usually near the end so that it is tossed 
by the wind. Miss Merriam found a pair of 
gnatcatchers in California, and watched them 
through many troubles. Their way of building 
was by felting. That is, they took fine, soft 
