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where the stump had rotted away, so that the outer wall of the 

 nest was seemingly a continuation of the rounded surface of 

 the mossy stump. Alas! The nest contained no eggs, and 

 though I returned to it many times subsequently it never was 

 occupied again. I have since learned by experience that these 

 birds are very touchy and will desert a nest which is merely 

 touched, even if actually ready for eggs. Another habit they 

 have is that of building mock nests in the immediate vicinity. 



The nests are very variously situated, generally in hollows 

 of low stumps, resting on or near the ground, under brush 

 heaps, under upturned roots, old logs and similar places, but 

 sometimes suspended from the branches of a spruce or fir tree 

 even as high as ten feet from the ground. While these tree 

 nests are more frequently the "mock" nests, they sometimes^ 

 lay in one of these and rear their brood, but more often the 

 real nest is on or near the ground. In structure all the nests 

 I have seen were identical, being composed of green sphagnum 

 moss, held together by small dead evergreen twigs, and with 

 entrance on the side. A nest before me measures outside from 

 top to bottom seven inches; depth of cavity inside two inches; 

 diameter of entrance hole one inch; diameter of interior of 

 nest one and a quarter inches; from bottom of entrance hole 

 to bottom of nest outside four inches; diameter of nest outside 

 four inches. The "mock" nests are generally unlined, while the 

 nest which has been or is to be occupied is warmly lined with 

 feathers and fur of the various woodland birds and animals. 



Of the real details of their domestic life I can tell compara- 

 tively little. They lay from four to ten eggs, usually five or 

 six, and full sets can be found by May twentieth, occasionally 

 not until early June, while a second brood is reared in late 

 June or July. The eggs are white, spotted with reddish brown 

 and purple, chiefly at the larger end. Many eggs are nearly 

 immaculate, others somewhat liberally spotted or even sparsely 

 wreathed, but in general the eggs are sparingly marked. They 

 measure about 0.69 x 0.49. Both birds assist in nest build- 



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