BIKDS'-NESTS. 137 



and hasty in her pursuits, and collected her materials 

 without fear or restraint, while three men were work- 

 ing in the neighboring walks and many persons visit- 

 ing the garden. Her courage and perseverance were 

 indeed truly admirable. If watched too narrowly, 

 Bhe saluted with her usual scolding, tshrr, tshrr, tshrr, 

 seeing no reason, probably, why she should be inter- 

 rupted in her indispensable occupation. 



" Though the males were now comparatively silent 

 on the arrival of their busy mates, I could not help 

 observing this female and a second, continually vocif- 

 erating, apparently in strife. At last she was ob- 

 served to attack this second female very fiercely, who 

 slyly intruded herself at times into the same tree 

 where she was building. These contests were angry 

 and often repeated. To account for this animosity, 

 I now recollected that two fine males had been 

 killed in our vicinity ; and I therefore concluded the 

 intruder to be left without a mate ; yet she had gained 

 the affections of the consort of the busy female, and 

 thus the cause of their jealous quarrel became ap- 

 parent. Having obtained the confidence of her faith- 

 'ess paramour, the second female began preparing to 

 weave a nest in an adjoining elm, by tying together 

 certain pendent twigs as a foundation. The male 

 now associated chiefly with the intruder, whom he 

 ?ven assisted in her labor yet did not wholly forget 

 his first partner who called on him one evening in a 

 low affectionate tone, which was answered in the 

 lame strain. While they were thus engaged in 



