The Nest of the Goldfinch. 23 



at a place where there is a fork, or a couple of side branches, 

 so as to offer a broader surface for the foundation. 



It does not seem to matter much what kind of a tree is 

 used, so that it has a good crotch at a convenient distance 

 from the ground. Thistles are often used, as are also berry 

 or rose bushes. The favorite tree seems, about here, tO' be 

 the American elm, but this apparent preference is probably 

 due to the abundance of suitable elm saplings in the slash- 

 ings and their good supply of upright crotches of three or 

 four prongs. Nests were also found in maple, apple and 

 shagbark hickory trees. 



There is considerable variation as to size, especially of 

 the cavity. The average height of the nests examined 

 was two and three-fourths inches, the average diameter three 

 and one-half inches. The average depth of the cavity wa>; 

 one and one-half inches, and its average diameter two and 

 one-half inches. This would make the walls of the nest each 

 half an inch thick and the bottom an inch and a quarter thick. 

 This average size, and especially depth of the cavity, is prob- 

 ably too small, for several of the nests examined had phe- 

 nomenally thick bottoms and broad, shallow cavities. 



The shape of the nest is that of a round-bottomed china 

 cup. The cavity is usually deep, so that the bottom is not 

 more than twice as thick as the sides. In a few of the nests, 

 as mentioned above, the cavity was so shallow (because the 

 bottom was thick, not because the nest was small) that it was 

 rather of the shape of a saucer than of a cup. 



Not having witnessed the building of the nests I cannot 

 say as to the method of construction. The nests have a base, 

 formed by stretching strips of bark from one fork of the 

 crotch to another, so as to form a framework in the shape 

 of a hammock. The spaces between and around these are 

 filled with a felting of shredded vegetable matter. Upon 

 this the cup is built. Similar strips of bark run around and 

 around the rim and sides of the cup, and the interstices are 

 filled with felting as before. The bottom of the cup is 

 mostly felting, with sometimes a few strips of grass or 



