42 



THE OOLOGIST. 



parently went to make up the main struc- 

 ture. The cavity was gracefully hollowed, 

 smooth, soft and lined with, first, stiff, wi- 

 ry grasses, which formed the foundation of 

 the lining ; then a few shreds of tangled 

 hemp and downy lint ; lastly a circular dis- 

 position of the very finest pieces of grape- 

 vine bark, none of them more than the 

 thickness of a piece of silk, nor less than 

 eighteen inches long. The edge of the nest 

 rounded perfectly and was formed of the 

 very softest moss, which has retained all 

 its freshness. 



The second nest is a very pretty speci- 

 men of bird architecture. It is the deepest 

 one I ever saw, measuring 21 inches in 

 depth. The principal substance of its com- 

 position are very fine, wiry grasses. I had 

 almost said they were too fine to be distin- 

 guished separately with the naked eye. In- 

 termixed in this, were several half-unfolded 

 thistle buds or blows. The structure is 

 studded all over the outside with gray li- 

 chens, each piece of which is set enchuays 

 hetiveen the grasses, and firmly pressed 

 there, the adherance aided by the bird's sa- 

 liva. These lichens bulge out considerably, 

 giving the idea many writei's have errone- 

 ously entertained, that they form the chief 

 substance of the nest. From between the 

 chinks in the lichens proceeded a few hairs, 

 undoubtedly from horses. The lining con- 

 sisted of lichens, pressed flat and firmly im- 

 bedded in the body of the nest, over which 

 many downy white feathers were placed. 

 The inside of the walls of the nest were 

 studded with the Avhite downy feathers, the 

 hase of the quill of each firmly stuck in the 

 nest. The entire fabric is very elastic. 



The nest of the Icterus Baltimore is not 

 as fine a specimen of ingenuity as the last, 

 its value lying in the oddity of substances 

 employed and their disposition. It is com- 

 posed entirely — with exception of the lin- 

 ing — of string, of all sizes, colors and lengths 

 imaginable. The peculiarity lies in the fact 

 of its having no vegetable substance in it 

 except the lining. Most of the string is 

 the common white twine ; then there is 

 rope, three-eighths inch in diameter, red 



curtain cord, kite twine, chalk line, sta- 

 tioners' red twine, checkered string, carpet 

 thread, linen fish-line and thread, silk thread 

 and bits of every kind or quality of string 

 known to civilization nearly, of various 

 lengths from an inch to I should judge forty 

 feet, for a piece of the kite-line bound the 

 nest in every direction, lashed it to the tree 

 in three places and wound about the boughs 

 for a distance of two or three feet from the 

 nest. This piece of twine is the longest I 

 ever saw in an Oriole's nest. The struc- 

 ture is homely in form and lined with vine 

 bark and the silky down of milk-weed. All 

 in all, it is safe to say that not seldom do 

 our commonest birds construct the most 

 beautiful nests, and employ the oddest sub- 

 stances, compared with the elaborate bird- 

 architectural triumphs of some of our most 

 Sfororeous builders. Avis. 



Ism iii liiti.. 



Species mentioned in this issue : — 

 Hairy "Woodpecker, Downy Woodp'r, 

 Towhee, Brown Towhee, Magpie. 



74. Hairy Woodpecker. 



This bird breeds in the hollows of old de- 

 cayed trees, either scooped out by itself or 

 naturally a fissure. The nest is formed of 

 the shavings and particles of rotton wood 

 which the bird pecks in digging the hole. 

 This is from eight to twelve inches deep 

 and usually about five inches in diameter 

 at the widest part. The tree selected is 

 generally a lofty one situated in the heart 

 of a deep forest, from the top of which the 

 bird may be heard a considerable distance, 

 working at the hollow of its nest. 



I'he eggs are four or five, pure white, 

 with a heavy thick shell bearing a beauti- 

 ful porcelain smoothness. A specimen tak- 

 en in Massachusetts measures .95 by .68 

 inch. The eggs are ovoid in shape, and 

 before being blown, have a very slight pink- 

 ish tinge. 



