584 THE BIRDS OF MAINE 



our Maine individuals are not different. A typical nest found, 

 May 24, 1896, was placed on the horizontal limb of a locust 

 shrub seven feet from the ground. This nest is built exter- 

 nally of twigs, strips of bark and leaves, lined with rootlets and 

 horsehair. It measures three inches in external depth by one 

 inside, while the diameter outside is six and a half and inside 

 three and a half inches. The eggs measure 1.10x0.75, 

 1.10x0.77, 1.12x0.75, 1.11x0.77,1.08x0.74. 



Near Dunlap, Illinois, a favorite nesting site was either in 

 the thorny branches of the osage orange hedges which border 

 the fields and roadsides, or in the heaps of dead branches 

 trimmed from these hedges and piled up on the ground. In 

 general three to six, more usually four eggs are laid. These 

 are from white to pale greenish white colored, very thickly 

 and evenly sprinkled and peppered with cinnamon and reddish 

 brown all over, while many eggs are also wreathed with heavier 

 markings about the larger ends. 



Both birds aid in nest building which requires from seven 

 to ten days. An egg is laid daily until the set is complete, 

 and both birds share in the work of incubation. The male 

 sometimes sings while on the nest. A second brood is reared 

 in Illinois, probably this is also true in Maine. When incu- 

 bating the female often sits until removed by hand. The food 

 consists of beetles, flies, caterpillars, bugs, and in general the 

 various insects found on the ground and in the bushes. They 

 also, I regret to say, take occasional toll from cultivated fruits 

 such as cherries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, but 

 do comparatively little damage in this way, preferring the wild 

 fruits and berries. Their chief diet is of an insect nature and 

 the fruits and berries are largely eaten as a relish. 



