COLLECTING NESTS AND EGGS. 31 



A collection of birds' nests is a telling object lesson in the study 

 of ornithology. Familiar as I am with them, I never see the nests of 

 some birds without feeling the most intense admiration for the mar- 

 velous skill which has aided them in forming a structure man would 

 find it difficult, if not impossible, to duplicate. A bird's nest in its 

 original site is a concrete expression of the intelligence of its maker ; 

 for the foresight displayed in the choice of a situation, and the inge- 

 nuity shown in the construction of the nest, even if largely instinctive 

 now, originated in the intelligence of a line of ancestors. 



Nests may be collected before they have been used, when the birds 

 will generally build again ; or you may wait and take them after the 

 birds have left them, labeling each nest with what you have learned 

 of the history of its owners. For example : Time required for its con- 

 struction ; whether made by one or both sexes ; notes on the laying of 

 the eggs ; period of incubation ; whether both sexes assisted in incu- 

 bation ; care of the young ; number of days they were in the nest, etc. 



Some ne;sts, for example the pendent " baskets " of Vireos or such 

 as are placed in crotches, should be taken with the crotch or branch 

 to which they are attached. 



With others it is obviously impossible to do this. They should 

 therefore be placed in a frame of wire and wrapped about with fine 

 wire thread. To make this frame, twist two pieces of annealed wire, 

 painted brown, into the shape of a letter X. About midway from the 

 point of intersection and the end of the arm, bend the wires upward 

 at right angles. Now take the fine hair or thread wire and wind it 

 about the four horizontal arms of the frame until its bottom looks 

 like a spider's web ; place the nest in this half-formed basket, bend 

 the upright wires inward or outward as the case requires, and continue 

 winding until the nest is bound firmly. The size of the frame and 

 the wire used in its construction may be varied to suit the nest. 



