78 Clear Skies and Cloudy. 



risk is incomprehensible to us. From a man's 

 point of view, these birds blundered. In their 

 six little heads was not enough wit to foresee in 

 time inevitable consequences. For many days 

 I have been trying to see what were the com- 

 pensating advantages of these three similar nest- 

 sites, and I have not been able to solve the 

 problem. However, the three broods were 

 reared successfully, and perhaps this will be 

 held as an evidence that it was I and not the 

 birds that blundered. 



But birds not only do blunder occasionally, 

 but acknowledge the fact. I have been daily 

 going the rounds of many nests in all sorts of 

 places, and spent many an hour patiently watch- 

 ing the building of the nest. The Baltimore 

 oriole has more than once commenced a nest 

 on a still day, but found that the wind pre- 

 ceding a summer shower caused too much 

 motion, and the unfinished structure was aban- 

 doned. One pair of robins fixed upon a cozy 

 hollow in an apple-tree, but, having no roof 

 overhead, they found their nest in a pool of 

 water after a night's rain. Nevertheless, all 

 else being favorable, birds are willing to risk 



