CHAPTER XXIII 



NESTING SITES 



WE have seen how much the birds that 

 nest in hollow trees have been affect- 

 ed by the clearing of the land, but the 

 birds that nest in trees and bushes, and even 

 those nesting on the ground have found great 

 difficulty in obtaining such a spot as they re- 

 quire to build their homes and rear their 

 families. Dozens of incidents among these 

 birds show how much they are in need of suit- 

 able nesting places. One in particular was 

 told by an old gentleman, a pioneer of early 

 days, who had lived many a summer with the 

 birds. The story was of a pair of Robins that 

 could not find the particular formation of 

 branches that would give them a suitable crotch 

 in which to weave their nest. Not far away 

 was a station yard in which scraps of binder 

 twine were being thrown about. Back and 

 forth the Robins flew, carrying this twine to a 

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