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How to Study Birds 



THE NESTING SEASON 



BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN 



FOURTH PAPER 



THE NEST 



The material of which a bird's nest is constructed depends primarily 



._ . upon the nature of the bird's haunts. The nests of marsh - 



v^ csttn? 



, , . , haunting birds are usually made of reeds or woven of wet 



Matertai , n i i • i n i 



marsh grasses ; woodland birds generally employ twigs, root- 

 lets, bark, leaves, mosses, etc., while field -inhabiting species, as a rule, 

 use chiefly dried grasses. 



It follows, therefore, that a change in the nature of a bird's haunts is 

 apt to be attended by some variation in the character of its nest. At 

 the northern part of its range the Green-crested or Acadian Flycatcher 

 builds its nest of plant -stems, grasses and dried blossoms, but in Florida 

 its nest is composed wholly of the Spanish or Tillandsia 'moss.' In the 

 east, Night Herons build in trees, when the nest is made of twigs 

 and sticks ; but in the west the nests of Night Herons 

 Variations may be constructed of the reeds among which they are 

 placed. Orioles nesting near a house often gather the 

 strings, worsteds, etc., to be found there ; while individuals of the same 

 species, for which these objects are not available, still select plant fibers 

 for their nests. 



Under the same conditions of environment a change in the nature 

 of the nesting site does not, as a rule, appear to affect the character of 

 the nest. Robins' nests are much the same, whether the bird builds in 

 a tree or on a window-sill. The Ospreys of Gardiner's Island which 

 nest on the ground, with one or two exceptions, gather as much nesting 

 material as do the birds that nest in trees, though their nesting site 

 calls for little or none. 



The nests of the Pelicans of Pelican Island, Florida, however, vary, 

 as a rule, in relation to their situation, those that are placed in trees 

 being necessarily composed of sticks; while, in my experience, it is ex- 

 ceptional to find, among the hundreds of ground nests, one in which 

 sticks are employed. 



In some instances the necessity for concealment apparently exerts an 

 influence on the nesting material. What is generally spoken of as "nest 



(89) 



