126 NATURE'S CALENDAR 



jyjjg 5 Stump or broken tree, and has the singu- 



— larity of weaving into his structure the 



cast skin of a snake — usually that of the 

 milk-snake. 



The orioles are the latest of the star- 

 ling tribe to begin housekeeping, and of 

 these the orchard oriole is more tardy 

 than the Baltimore. Its nest is not hung, 

 like the safe pouch of the Baltimore, 

 among the drooping, flexible ends of outer 

 branches, but is composed of grasses 

 woven into a thick, deep cup, half hung 

 in the fork of some apple-tree. 



Two other v^ery late nesters in orchard 

 and garden are the cedar-bird, or cherry- 

 bird (a waxwing), and the goldfinch. The 

 former makes a compact nest placed in 

 some orchard tree. The goldfinch is al- 

 most equally late in its nidification,choos- 



in pastures, along country roads, and in 

 our gardens. 



The sparrows are mostly early breed- 

 ers, but several prepare nests for second 

 broods in June ; and some of the ground- 

 keeping species, like the yellow- winged, 

 may wait until the early part of the 

 month to lay their first eggs. The indigo- 

 bird, however, is late in its house-build- 

 ing, waiting usually until the loth before 

 laying its eggs in the pretty cup that it 

 fastens securely in some fork of a bush 

 or sapling in the thickets at the edge of 

 the woods or along field boundaries. No 

 place is so beloved by small birds as the 



