A HERMIT'S WILD FRIENDS 



bird's mother, happened along to inspect the 

 work. The moment she saw the shaky struc- 

 ture she tumbled it on to the ground. Then 

 she laid a foundation that no breeze could 

 dislodge. Her selection of rootlets long 

 enough to bridge the spaces was something 

 wonderful. I did not see her make a mistake. 

 If she picked up a rootlet a hair's breadth 

 short, she dropped it for another of the right 

 length. After she had laid a secure founda- 

 tion, she left the young bird to her own skill 

 and judgment. When the bird had completed 

 the nest, it was as large as a four-quart 

 measure. It was made up of varied mate- 

 rials. Newspaper and cloth afforded the 

 larger amount. A departure was the skin 

 of a garter snake woven into the brim. A 

 few years ago I found a catbird's nest orna- 

 mented with a snake-skin, and the two in- 

 stances are the only ones of all my obser- 

 vations. 



To read some of our books on ornithology, 

 would lead one to suppose that birds of the 

 same species constructed nests exactly alike, 

 274 



