56 BRIGHT PEATE RES: 
seeing the female bird, when engaged in nest-building, perched upon a 
swaying clothes line, near a knot or raveled end thereof, bobbing back- 
ward and forward to preserve her equipoise after the manner of the 
sand-piper, and industriously gathering fine shreds of the line with 
which to furnish her nest. I have seen the same individual return 
time and again to the same spot, on each occasion accompanied by her 
liege and his cheering medley, for the soft fibres she seemed to love so 
well. When hemp and cotton lines have been strung side by side, each 
having frayed ends and knots, I have invariably noticed that the former 
is preferred, owing no doubt to the superior softness of the cotton 
staple when compared with the hemp. 
Sam has placed at my disposala nest and clutch of eggs of this 
bird, from his collection. The nest was found in the forks of a willow 
bush, six or seven feet from the ground. It is secured at its edge to 
branching twigs, five in number, by a few shreds of bark, an occasional 
straw, and filaments of weeds. Onsome of the twigs the latter material 
extends around them to the lowest base of the structure. On the largest 
one which is more or less exposed, I notice that the fine cotton ravelings 
extending from the body of the nest, seem to be fastened thereto by 
a mucilaginous secretion, without surrounding the twig. A few bits of 
paper are found near the exterior surface of the nest. Its bottom is 
148 inches thick ; the side walls vary from +§ to }# inches in thickness. 
Greatest outside diameter, 3 inches; inside diameter 1% inches ; con- 
cavity 1+ inch in depth and lined with seedless thistle down, whole ver- 
tical height, 3 inches. 
The eggs, four in number, are of the normal hue, without specks, 
and measure as follows: No. 1, 0.62 by 0.49. No. 2, 0.66 by 0.50. 
No. 3, 0.68 by 0.50. No. 4, 0.65 by 0.50. 
