1 1 



these little ••busy-bodies" have demonstrated their passion for nest-building 

 by building two nests in the same box and of course could use only one of 

 them. That summer a pair took possession of a Martin house containing 

 four rooms and not only did they appropriate the lower floor to their use 

 but also the garret, tilling the two lower rooms completely with rubbish 

 and the upper ones ucai'ly s^o. 



After the Wrens liail left last fall L examiiual the various nests about the 

 place with the following results: In one nest I found, besides the usual 

 quantity of sticks and strings, the following unusual material: two six- 

 penny nails, two pieces of No. 13 wire about three inches long; one piece 

 of No. 1.) wire two inches long, seven shingle nails and three one-inch 

 brads.- In another nest I found fifteen shingle nails, one one-inch brad 

 and a six-penny nail. 



A Tame Goldfixch — I have often read of wild birds becoming so tame 

 in their natural haunts that they would eat from a person's hand or alight 

 on his shoulder. But to these stories I never attached much credit until 

 last summer when 1 was fortunate enough to obtain the confidence and 

 trust 'of a fe- 

 male American 

 (h)ld(inch. It 

 liappeued in the 

 following man- 

 ner: On till' 

 morning of the 

 se V e n te e n t h 

 day of August 

 as I was driv- 

 ing the horses 

 from the pas- 

 ture my atten- 

 ti(ui was at- 

 tracted by a 

 small nest in a 

 large thistle 

 (whicli I am 

 a s li a m e d t n 

 mention as bid- 

 ing in our pas- 

 ture) and on ex- 

 amination. I 

 fouiul it was AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, 



occupied bv its Drawu frompainting b5- Wm. G. Savage 



owner, a femah^ American (roldfinch. Seeing that she did not se(>m 

 much frightened, 1 approached slowly, imitating as nearly as I could tlie 

 (ioldtinch's plaintive love-call — sw-e-e-e-t, sw-e-e-e-t. In this manner I 

 was able to apprcjach within two feet of the nest, when she became unable 

 to stand the sight of ine any longer and (lew a few rods from the nest. 

 disclosing li\(' pale l)lue eggs. Tiiinkingit best policy to flistnrli liei" no 



