SOME NOTABLE NESTS. 



The Clymer boys and girls, of Clover- doing are known to use manufactured 

 dale, New England, belonged to a Bird materials and patterns." Strange state- 

 Club ; they were proposed to membership ment, but of course thereby hangs a tale, 

 by their neighbors, the Walkers; in fa.ct, and here it is. 



the two families composed the club, and At the spring house-cleaning time, 



it partook of the nature of a secret so- Mrs. Clymer had the big, bright sitting- 



ciety. room carpet taken out under one of the 



All this was before the young people old colonial elms, at the east of the house, 



of Cloverdale knew of Clark University, to be cleaned. Mrs. Baltimore Oriole 



and Dr. Hodges' "Ten to One Clubs," was up in the elm that morning looking 



wherein the members pledged themselves . for a building spot that should be a bit 



to strive by all imaginable means pro- superior to the old one; she had spent 



vided they were also practical to induce three summers in that tree, was familiar 



ten song birds to live and sing each year, with the ways of the club, and habits of 



where only one was found the year be- the family; like the birds of Eugene 



fore. Field's boyhood, "she knew her business 



It was not necessary for the Cloverdale when she built the old fire-hang-bird's 



Club to put up carefully constructed and nest." 



artistic bird houses, or to hang cotton No one was near when Mrs. Oriole 



and the like fine nest-building materials fixed her eyes on the great red, green 



in choicest ornamental shade trees not and white ingrain carpet, and admired it; 



at all. The English Sparrow had not found what she thought we know not, but when 



the village in those days; the song birds she glanced at the hitching post under 



were there, they knew all the good loca- the tree, she instantly descended from 



tions and just where to find the best stuffs high, waving branch, to lowly square 



for constructing, furnishing and decorat- post, for exactly covering the top of the 



ing their homes ; the work of the club same was a miniature carpet, a piece just 



was to find these homes, to study them, six by six inches 'which Patrick should 



with the ways and habits of their occu- have left indoors ; not having done so, he 



pants, and to record their discoveries in laid it on the inviting post for safe-keep- 



a big book labeled, "Things- Not Gener- ing. That bit of wool fabric was very 



ally Known." valuable, it exactly filled a jog right by 



Many of the statements in this book the fireplace, in which, alas ! ever after 

 were as broad and conclusive as scien- was seen an ugly piece of oil cloth ! 

 tific dogmas, but the Cloverdale Club did All summer long the club girls and 

 not waste its time searching for hundreds boys gazed with wonder at the gay nest 

 of instances to establish a single truth ; in the elm, hanging like a solitary bios- 

 one was enough to be worthy of record ; som among the leaves ; their speculations 

 then, if some time the big book should be about it would fill a long chapter ; but 

 given to the public, and some naturalist after the birds were flown far to the south, 

 or investigator should choose to confirm and the leaves were gone, that nest was 

 its statements by patient research, of finally cut down and told its story : thread 

 course he would be welcome so to do. by thread, just as pulled from the bit of 

 The club had the distinction of discov- carpet, had been woven into a decoration 

 ery, that was enough. for the outer wall of that hanging house, 



One interesting item recorded was till a rude reproduction of the original 

 this : "Birds such as Orioles who tiny rug was under the feet of the bird- 

 build in conspicuous places, like to dec- lings, and over the heads of the boys, 

 orate the outside of their nests, and in so The club held a special exhibition of 



149 



