26 The Wilson Bulletin — ^No. 82. 



It is interesting to wonder whether there is any connec- 

 tion between the color of the hning and the color of the eggs, 

 llie lining gives a general effect of a dirty white, which 

 would match pretty well the light bluish tint of the egg. 

 Does the bird make a point of having a light-colored lining, 

 or is it merely that the available materials all give that ef- 

 fect? This point could perhaps be determined by a careful 

 study during the nest-building period. It does not seem likely 

 that the bird does this, but there is the possibility. 



One other point, however, is well worth noting. I refer 

 to the correlation between the bird's nesting materials and 

 feeding habits. The nesting materials are all such as could 

 be gathered under the same circumstances as feeding, and 

 many of them, such as the grass and wxed-stems, and the 

 " vegetable w-ool," come from plants which are themselves 

 sources of food supply. 



The chief point that has forced itself upon my attention, 

 throughout my study of the nests, has been the use of the 

 most easily available materials. In none of the nests was 

 there any material that could not have been gathered within 

 a hundred yards of the nest, and in most the materials could 

 have been duplicated within twenty feet. For the framework 

 the Goldfinch demands long flexible strips, but they may be 

 bark of either milkweed or grapevine, or grass-stems or 

 small twigs from weeds. For the felting, cobwebs are ap- 

 parently a necessity, but for the rest vegetable fibers, wool, 

 grass-stems, bits of weed and bark, or dead leaves will serve. 

 If, for the lining, thistledown is available, well and good; if 

 not, why, cat-tail down or fine " vegetable wool " will serve. 

 This adaptability enables it to increase more rapidly than if 

 it demanded thistledown alone for its lin'ng. If this were 

 the case, it would be concentrated in colonies, around the 

 few thistle patches that the country around here affords. 

 \ow, on the contrary, it can find some good substitute any- 

 where, and is found distributed rather with regard to suita- 

 ble nesting trees and food conditions than to nest materials. 



