76 PROCEEDINGS MANCHESTER INSTITUTE 



July, a time later than the vireo's nesting-time. The faithful 

 mother remained motionless upon her dainty nest, while each 

 detail of her feathered covering was noted inch by inch ; the 

 beautiful rich olive-green of the upper parts, with the conspic- 

 uous white ej^e-line bordered with black, and the contrasting 

 pure white of the breast ; but the greatest delight of all was to 

 actually see the red eye. 



Drawn to the thicket by the sweet song, with which he re- 

 gales you at early morn and dewy eve, you find the catbird, in 

 the haunt long loved by the family, for generations perhaps. 

 Here, in seclusion and safety, the nest is discovered in a large 

 blueberry bush, whose base is submerged in the waters of the 

 swamp. Once discovered, peace will not be restored until 3"ou 

 withdraw and remain at a discreet distance, there to listen if 

 you will. But an inborn curiosity " to see what birds' nests are 

 made of," as Thoreau has said, prompts you, in time, to secure 

 that nest. You note at once the strong contrast in construction 

 between this nest and that of the vireo ; its foundation of twigs 

 6 or 8 inches in length is so loose ; above this are strips of 

 grapevine bark, and the interlining is of water-washed rootlets 

 from brook or lakeside. 



But another member of the catbird family built her nest with 

 quite an attempt at the picturesque, and who can say but that 

 she made an attempt to initiate her fledglings in the rudiments 

 of art ? For in clear type we find the following : 



HoivD THE CUBE OUT — 



Which face do you see ? 



PlvACE THE SPHERE ON THE — 



Then beside these valuable instructions we. find the accom- 

 panying, " Use Robinson and Thorndike's Cough Drops." 

 With a temple of learning and a well-known hospital within 

 earshot of the nest's location, 'tis easy to see that this bird made 

 good use of it's opportunities. 



Frequent passing through the orchard had failed to locate the 

 whereabouts of a kingbird's nest, until one morning three over- 

 grown members of the family were seen perched near it. There 

 it was, at the top of the apple-tree, in plain sight. The wonder 



