54 BIRDS THROUGH AN OPERA-GLASS. 



of twine or gay worsted thrown on the grass is 

 gladly accepted, and Nuttall once saw an oriole 

 carry off a piece of lampwick ten or twelve feet 

 long. 



In Northampton I witnessed an interesting case 

 which proved that skill in nest making as well 

 as other crafts comes by hard-earned experience, 

 and, consequently, that manual training should 

 be introduced into all bird schools ! A pair of 

 young and inexperienced orioles fell in love and 

 set out, with the assurance of most brides and 

 grooms, to build a home for themselves. They suc- 

 ceeded admirably in the selection of their build- 

 ing site, but then the trouble began. The premise 

 that all young lovers are weavers or architects 

 sometimes leads to dire syllogistic conclusions. 

 Was it the pressing business of the honeymoon 

 that interfered with the weaving, or was it be- 

 cause this young couple had not yet learned how 

 to pull together that their threads got in a snarl 

 and their gray pocket was all awry ? Whatever 

 the reason, the cradle was altogether too short to 

 rock well, and was skewed up in such a fashion 

 that some of the baby birds would have been sure 

 of a smothering. Like Grimm's clever Elsie the 

 birds foresaw all these dangers, and actually left 

 the completed nest to be tossed by the wind while 

 they went off to try again in another place. It 

 is believed to be unusual for two young birds to 

 pair together. 



