THE 



NATURE-STUDY REVIEW 



Vol. 15 February, 1919 No. 2 



Birds' Nests 



A. A. Allen 

 From The Cornell Rural School Leaflet, by permission 



Editor's Note. — Probably most teachers are familiar with the use of a 

 key. The first section of the key in the following article divides the nests 

 into eleven main divisions. First determine in which of these a nest belongs, 

 and then turn at once to that division and trace it through. Whenever a 

 letter is doubled or trebled, it indicates alternative conditions, and after 

 determining which one the nest falls under, the others are ignored and the 

 tracing continued under the correct heading. [Edw. M. Tlttle.] 



The most satisfactory and accurate way of identifWng a bird's 

 nest is to find it while still occupied and to identify the builder. 

 Then after the young have flowm, the nest can be taken, and will 

 mean much more in the collection than it would if it were not dis- 

 covered until winter. 



The following key is intended to assist in the identification of 

 such birds' nests as are ordinarily found after the leaves have 

 fallen. The general type of nest built by each species of bird 

 is fairly constant, but in so far as the materials conform to the 

 general requirements of the nest, those used will always vary with 

 the kinds most available. In writing this key the attempt has been 

 made to select the characters that are most constant, but undoubt- 

 edly many exceptions will be found, which can be identified only 

 by a specialist. The size and particularly the depth of the nest 



Rjd-Eycd \irjo Robin 



