THE REED WARBLER — THE INDIGO BIRD. 567 



reeds ; and, however fiercely the storm may rage, the Eeed War- 

 bler sits securely in her nest, even though it be sometimes nearly 

 bowed to the surface of the water. The materials of the nest are 

 generally taken from the immediate neighborhood, the body of 

 the nest being composed of broken rushes and moss bound to- 

 gether with reed leaves, and the lining made almost wholly of 

 cows' hair. 



In the illustration the nest is represented as it appears during 

 a rather smart breeze. The reeds are all bowed down by the 

 force of the wind, and the nest is leaning so much to one side that 

 its contents would be flung into the water were it of the ordinary 

 cup-shaped form. The tiny inmates, however, are perfectly se- 

 cure in their home, and crouch in the bottom of the nest, so that 

 there is no fear that they may be thrown out. The parent birds 

 are busily attending on their little family, one having just brought 

 an insect which all the gaping mouths are eager to devour, while 

 the other is setting off in its turn to perform the like office. The 

 little eggs are rather pleasing in color, being very pale green, al- 

 most fading to whitish -gray in parts, and being mottled and 

 speckled with brown or green darker than the ground hue of the 

 shell. As is usually the case with similar birds, they are four or 

 five in number. 



Many foreign birds are excellent branch-builders. 



One of the best known is a lovely little bird, which is familiar 

 to us through the mediumship of taxidermists, who are always 

 glad to insert a few specimens in their glass cases of brightly 

 plumaged birds. This is the Indigo Bird, or Blue Linnet of 

 America (Spiza cyanea), which derives its name from the hue of 

 its feathers. Viewed in some lights, the plumage is a rich, deep 

 azure, shining with a satiny lustre in the direct light of the sun- 

 beams, and deepening into indigo in the shadows. But the most 

 remarkable point in the hue is, that in certain lights it changes 

 to that peculiar green which is known to artists as " verditer," so 

 that the bird seems absolutely to change its color if its position 

 be shifted for only a few inches. Consequently, a well-arranged 

 group will have two specimens placed in such a manner that one 

 glows in all the glory of its azure dress, while another is vivid 

 green. The wings are black, and retain their color in all lights. 



The nest of the Indigo Bird is set in a bush, and, according to 

 Wilson, is upheld by two twigs, one passing up each side, so as to 



