380 XOIJTH AMKKICAX .IJIKDS. 



qiieiice of its lioM little Iniilder tlyiiii,' in my fjire M'lienrver T np])roacliod too 

 near, even before its nt'st eontainctl any eix^^s. The j^n-ninuls were in frequent 

 use, and the ]»iiir were at tirst a j^nxKl deal dislurhed hy these constant intru- 

 sions, hut they soon heeame reconciled t(» tlieir company, and would not leave 

 their ]>ositi(»n, even thou^li tlie uanie was contested iuiiiUMhately under their 

 nest, which was tlius often l)rouL;ht within a loot of the heads of the jdayers. 

 Before this nest was (piite tinishcd, the female he«:;an her duties of incubation. 

 Her assiduous mate was constantly en<i:a.i;ed at tirst in completing,' the ex- 

 ternal ornamentation of the nest witli lichens and mosses, and then w*ith a 

 renewal of his interrupted c«mcerts of sonu:. These (bities he varied by 

 frecpient ca])tures of insects, winded and creepin,i,% most of which he duly 

 carried to his mate. His sf>n«' was varied, sweet, and touchinulv beautiful. 

 Less powerful tlian tlie notes of several others of its family, except those of 

 the \VitrJ)lui(), I know of none more charming. 



These birds reach Xew England about tlie lOtli of May, and usually have 

 their nests constructed early in June. Their habits, in all essential respects, 

 are the same as those of all its familv. Thev are somewhat contidiui' and 

 trustful of man, are readily ap})roached, and soon become so well acquainted 

 with those amoni; whom they have a home as to fearlessly come to the win- 

 dows of the house in ]nirsuit of spiders or Hies, and even to enter them. In 

 the latter case thev cannot readilv make their exit, and soon lose their self- 

 possession, beatini^ their heads against the walls and ceiling in vain attempts 

 to get out, unless caught and released. In one instance a young bird, that 

 had entered my barn-chand>er, became so entangled in cobwebs, around his 

 wings and feet, as to be unable to esca])e again. When taken in the hand, 

 and his meshes one l>y one picked out from about his feet and quills, he 

 was very docile, made no resistance or outcry, nor any attempt to escape, 

 until he was entirely freed from his bonds, although it required some time 

 and care to accomjdish it. When entirely freed from these clogs, and per- 

 mitted to go, he Hew away very deliberately to a short distance, and occupied 

 himself with dressing his disordered plumage. 



The nest of this species is also a ])endent structure, and hemispherical in 

 slia])e. It may always be readily distinguislied from any other nest of this 

 family by the profusion of lichens and mosses with which its outer portion 

 is adorned and covered, giving it the appearance of a large moss-covered 

 knot. 



In most of the towns in the vicinity of Boston this species, though not 

 abundant, is quite common. Their nests, built usually in low and rather 

 conspicuous positions for birds of this kind, occur most frequently in gardens 

 and orchards. One of these, found suspended from a moss-covered branch 

 of an apple-tree in lioxburv, may be taken as typical of its kind. Its 

 rim was firmly bound around the fork of a branch by a continuation of the 

 materials that form the outside of the nest itself. These are an interweaving 

 of spiders'-webs, and silky threads from insect cocoons, largely intermingled 



