380 xoHTii amf;uican .niitDs. 



qiu'iico of its linkl litth; Itnildor flyiiit,' in my I'lin' wlii'iiovor I a|)])roacliod too 

 iioiir, oven bel'ore its nest coiitiiiiuMl any ejxjf.s. The j,'rmiii(l.s were in i'ret|ueiit 

 use, unci the jiair wen^ at first a j,'i)(k1 deal disluihed hy these constant inti'u- 

 si(ins, lint they sdcm liccanic icconcilcd to their company, and wonld not leave 

 their position, even thouji'h the j^ame was contested ininiediately under their 

 nest, which was thus often l)r(nij;ht within a foot nf the lii^ids of the. ])layers. 

 Before this nest was quite finished, the female hej^an her duties of inc^nbation. 

 Her assiduous mate was constantly tmjiaj^ed at first in com]iletiuf,' the ex- 

 ternal ornamentation of the nest with lichens and mosses, and then with a 

 renewid of his interrupted concerts of sonj,'. These duties he varied by 

 fre([Uent ca])tures of insects, wiuj^ed and creepinjf, most of which he duly 

 carried to his mate. His son^' was varied, sweet, and touchin^uly beautiful. 

 Less jiowerful than tlu! notes of several others of its family, except those of 

 the Warhiintj, I know of none more charminj;. 



These birds reach New P^uuland about the lOth of May, and usually have 

 their nests constructed early in June. Their habits, in all essential respects, 

 are the same as those of all its family. They are somewhat contiiling and 

 trustful of man, are readily approached, and soon become so well acquainted 

 with those amon<f whom they have a luune as to fearlessly come to the win- 

 df)ws of the house in ]>ursuit of spiders or flies, and even to enter them. In 

 the latter case thi'y cannot readily make their exit, and soon lose their self- 

 possession, beatinjj; their heads ajjainst the walls and ceiling in vain attempts 

 to get out, unless caught and releascid. In one instance a young bird, that 

 had entered my barn-chaml)er, became so entangled in cobwebs, around his 

 wings and feet, as to be unable to escape again. When taken in the hand, 

 and his meshes one by one picked out from al)out his feet and (piills, he 

 was very docile, made no resistance or outcry, nor any attempt to escape, 

 until he was entirely freed i'rom his Ixjnds, although it required some time 

 and care to accomplish it. When entii'ely freed from these clogs, and ])er- 

 mitted to go, he llew away very deliberately to a short distance, and occupied 

 himself with dressing his disordered plumage. 



The nest of this species is also a ])endent structure, and hemispherical in 

 shajx?. It may always be readily distinguished from any other nest of this 

 family by the profusion of lichens and mosses with which its outer portion 

 is jidorned and covered, giving it the appearance of a large moss-covered 

 knot. 



In most of the towns in the vicinity of Boston this species, though not 

 abundant, is (|uite common. Their nests, built usually in low and rather 

 cons]ncuous positions for birds of this kind, occur most frequently in gardens 

 and orchards. One of these, found, suspended from a moss-covered branch 

 of an apple-tree in Iloxbiny, may be taken as typical of its kind. Its 

 rim was firmly bound around the fork of a branch by a continuation of the 

 materials that form the outside of the nest itself. These are an interweaving 

 of spiders'-webs, and silky threads from insect cocoons, largely intermingled 



