134 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 



iiig. The nest is usually placed under a bridge, sometimes 

 under an eavc, or ledge of rock, sometimes in a barn 

 or other building. It is constructed of fine roots, grasses, 

 fine moss, and hairs, which are plastered together, and 

 to the object the nest is built on, by pellets of mud : it is 

 hollowed about an inch and a half, and lined with soft 

 grasses, wool, and feathers. The eggs are usually five in 

 number : their color is white, with a very delicate cream tint. 

 There are usually in each litter one or two eggs with a few 

 spots thinly scattered over the larger end : these spots are 

 of a reddish-brown. The period of incubation is thirteen 

 days, and two broods are often reared in the season in this 

 latitude. The length of eggs varies from .72 to .78 inch ; 

 breadth, from .54 to .56 inch. 



The familiar cheerful habits of this species, and the fact 

 that it is one of the first birds to remind us of the return 

 of spring, have made it a universal favorite ; and many 

 residents in the country are so attached to it, that they 

 protect it, and encourage its visits, and even provide 

 quarters for the establishment of its nest. It seems to pre- 

 fer the neighborhood of a pond or stream of water for its 

 home, where, perching on the branch of an overhanging 

 tree, or on the railing of a bridge, or darting about in dif- 

 ferent directions, it busies itself through the day in catching 

 the insects that swarm in myriads in such localities. When 

 perching, it frequently flirts its tail, and erects the feathers 

 of its head, uttering the notes pliehe-phehee in a soft 

 plaintive key. Sometimes, this note is more lively, resem- 

 bling the word peweet, petueet, uttered in a quick, cheerful 

 manner. The beautiful description of the habits of this 

 bird, given by Audubon, is certainly one of the best efforts 

 of that naturalist ; and I would advise all who are interested 

 in the history of the bird to read it. 



After the young have left the nest, the parents remain 

 together in the neighborhood of their home until their 

 departure, about the middle of October. At this time, they 



