THE BUSH-TIT. 



185 



fasten the nest in place, but they do not. It is 

 held by matting bits of anything together, not 

 woven, but pressed and lapped. It it not like the 

 oriole's nest, though the nest of the Baltimore 

 oriole resembles it, in a way. The oriole actually 

 weaves her nest of string or fiber. The bush-tit 

 makes a coarse, strong felt. You may under- 

 stand the difference by comparing a piece of old 

 wool-felt hat and woven-straw hat. And yet the 

 bush-tit's nest hangs to the tree as firmly as that 

 of an oriole. We have not known a storm to 

 tear one of them away. It may become stretched 

 and blown out of 

 shape, but a nestful 

 of young bush-tits in 

 a March storm is as 

 safe as though placed 

 under the barn-eaves. 

 The nest begins 

 with a round, bulging 

 upper end. After an 

 inch or two, it nar- 

 rows into a smaller 

 neck, like a bottle, 

 and then widens into 

 the long pocket. On 

 the side of the long BUSH-TIT'S NEST. 



