560 HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



Every one knows the common catchweed so plentiful in waste 

 ground. The long trailing stems of this plant are used by a pret- 

 ty little bird in making its nest, and are most ingeniously twined 

 amono- the branches into the needful shape. The bird which uses 

 this plant is the Whitethroat ( Curruca cinerea), sometimes called 

 the Haychat and Nettle-creeper. Its ordinary name is due to the 

 white feathers of the throat, and it is called Nettle-creeper because 

 it is so active among the weeds that fringe the hedgerows. The 

 nest is always placed low, and I have mostly found it toward the 

 top of some stubby bush or shrub, about three feet from the 

 ground. Although placed in such localities, it is not very easy 

 of discovery, as it is well hidden by the foliage, and in most in- 

 stances the boughs must be pressed aside before the nest can be 

 made clearly visible. Although the catchweed is used by the 

 bird in making the frame-work of the nest, it does not consider 

 itself bound to employ no other substance, but uses grass-blades 

 and vegetable fibres. The lining of the nest is simply made of 

 fine hay, among which are twined a variable number of horse- 

 hairs, sometimes only twenty or thirty, and sometimes in such a 

 quantity as almost to conceal the hay. It is in allusion to the 

 lining of the nest that the bird is called Haychat. The nest va- 

 ries much in thickness, probably in proportion to the density of 

 the bush in which it is placed. 



The celebrated Mocking-bird of America {Turdus [or Mimus] 

 polyglottus) is also one of the branch-builders. 



The situation chosen by the bird is always variable, depending 

 almost entirely on the nature of the district and the character of 

 the inhabitants. Should the bird be resident in some wild part 

 of the country, it takes some pains to conceal its nest, choosing 

 the most impenetrable thicket that can be found. A thick thorn- 

 bush is a favorite spot, because the sharp points serve to deter in- 

 truders from forcing their way to the nest ; and the cedar is some- 

 times chosen, because its dark masses of foliage afford such a cov- 

 er for the nest that it can scarcely be detected even by one who 

 is looking for it. 



But, should the bird build in some inhabited locality, where it 

 is taught by instinct that it will not be molested, it makes its nest 

 close to the house, and cares not to hide it. Six or seven feet from 

 the ground is the usual height at which the nest is placed, and the 

 bird has so little anxiety about its nest that it often builds upon 



