554 HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



in -some cases it is scarcely deeper in proportion than that of the 

 goldfinch, and rather sancer- shaped, while in others the depth 

 even exceeds the width. Perhaps the nest may be altered in 

 shape after the female begins to deposit her eggs, as is known to 

 be the case with many birds, the additions being always made to 

 the margin. 



It is a remarkable fact that this enlargement of the nest should 

 be common both to birds and insects. The reader may perhaps 

 remember that the wasp, as well as other hymenoptera, lays an 

 egg in the cell while it is yet shallow, and adds to the cell in pro- 

 portion to the growth of the grub. The time of year, therefore, 

 at which the nest of the Golden Oriole is found will have an in- 

 fluence on its shape, as the nest which is taken in the early spring, 

 before the eggs are laid, will probably be shallower than that 

 which is found in autumn, after the eggs have been hatched and 

 the young reared. 



The object for deepening the nest may probably be traced to 

 the weather which happens to prevail. If the winds be light, 

 the nest may remain in its flat and saucer- like form without 

 endangering the safety of the eggs ; but if the season should 

 be inclement and tempestuous, a deeper nest is needed in order 

 to prevent the eggs or young from being flung out of their 

 home. 



The body of the nest is formed chiefly of vegetable substances, 

 usually the stems of different grasses, which are interwoven with 

 wool, and thus made into a tolerably strong fabric. The female 

 bird is said to be very affectionate, and to sit so closely on her 

 nest that she will almost suffer the hand to be laid upon her be- 

 fore she will leave her post. In the illustration, the female bird 

 is standing upright on the branch, and looking upward, while the 

 male is bending over the bough, and peering downward, as if at 

 some fancied foe. He can always be distinguished from his mate 

 by the brighter gold of his plumage, the black spot between the 

 eye and the beak, and the deeper black of his wings ; whereas in 

 the female a tinge of blue invades the yellow, changing it to yel- 

 lowish-green, the wings are brown, edged with gray, and the black 

 spot in front of the eye is altogether absent. Moreover, the 

 breast and belly are marked with many longitudinal dashes of 

 grayish-brown. 



One of the most variable of birds in its nesting is the well- 



