IO o ZOOLOGICAL SKETCHES. 



and ortolans, cannot reproach themselves with risking 

 the loss of their nestlings by neglecting any possible — 

 certainly not any humanly possible — precautions in the 

 construction of their little nurseries. The nest of a green- 

 finch on a willow- or chestnut-tree defies detection, un- 

 less you should happen to espy the bird in the act of 

 feeding her young. No botanist could more exactly 

 match the color of the tree-bark with the blended hues 

 of lichens and dry bind-weeds, or imitate with interwoven 

 twigs the characteristic forms of the protuberances and 

 " knots" of a gnarled branch. Viewed from below, the 

 grass bower of the Italian ortolan cannot be distin- 

 guished from the grayish-green tint of a half-withered 

 olive-leaf; the bag-nest of the golden wren is hidden 

 amidst the drooping tassels of the mountain-larch ; and 

 the pendulous cradle of the orchard oriole looks exactly 

 like the accidental excrescence of an old apple-tree. 



Birds that cannot imitate such textile masterpieces 

 show a consummate skill in foiling their enemies, — 

 hawks, cats, and boys. Our tanager never takes a bee- 

 line to her nest, but beats about the bush, apparently 

 in search of food, till she sees an opportunity to slip 

 in unobserved. It is well known that quails and many 

 small birds often try to divert the attention of a nest- 

 robber by throwing themselves in his way, shrieking 

 and imitating the movements of an unfledged nestling ; 

 but it is a curious fact that in such critical moments 

 the nestlings themselves keep perfectly quiet, for hours, 



