1 2 8 BIKDS'-NESTS. 



ily appropriated. He managed it so that the bird 

 used nearly equal quantities of various high, bright 

 colors. The nest was made unusually deep and capa- 

 cious, and it may be questioned if such a thing of 

 beauty was ever before woven by the cunning of a 

 bird. 



Nuttall, by far the most genial of American ornithol- 

 ogists, relates the following : — 



" A female (oriole), which I observed attentively, car- 

 ried off to her nest a piece of lamp-wick ten or twelve 

 feet long. This long string and many other shorter 

 ones were left hanging out for about a week before both 

 the ends were wattled into the sides of the nest. Some 

 other little birds making use of similar materials, 

 at times twitched these flowing ends, and generally 

 brought out the busy Baltimore from her occupation in 

 great anger. 



" I may perhaps claim indulgence for adding a little 

 more of the biography of this particular bird, as a 

 representative also of the instincts of her race. She 

 completed the nest in about a week's time, without any 

 aid from her mate ; who indeed appeared but seldom 

 in her company and was now become nearly silent. 

 For fibrous materials she broke, hackled, and gathered 

 the flax of the asclepias and hibiscus stalks, tearing off 

 long strings and flying with them to the scene of her 

 labors. She appeared very eager and hasty in her 

 pursuits, and collected her materials without fear or 

 restraint, while three men were working in the neigh- 



