BIRDS' HOMES. 



The Homes or Nests of birds are al- 

 most as different as the houses of men, 

 and all are interesting. But we must 

 take care not to get them until the little 

 families have gone and the nests are left 

 empty. 



A chipping sparrow's nest may be 

 known by its fine horse-hair lining. It 

 is neat and compact, and the outer nest — 

 for the lining is really an inside nest — is 

 made of grasses and fine twigs. Some- 

 times it is in a tree, sometimes in a low 

 bush. The pretty blue indigo bird weaves 

 her cup of grasses, dead leaves and fine 

 bits of bark, also softly lined inside, in 

 the fork of a bush on the edge of a thick- 

 et, and I often heard the alarm-note, 

 cheep ! cheep ! if I went near. Her splen- 

 did cousins, the cardinals, build their 

 nests of the same materials, but weave 

 them more loosely together and in a 

 less perfect shape. I found one beauti- 

 fully placed in the middle of an arch 

 made by some blossoming laurels, over- 

 hanging a crystal-clear pool of water. 



The phoebe is a mason, like the robin, 

 and makes her nest partly of clay, mixed 

 with green moss and lined with grass 

 and hair. It is rather large, and she 

 likes to place it on a shelf of rock or of 

 wood, either a natural ledge or made by 

 man, and also chooses a roof, for it is 

 often found under a bridge or on a rafter. 

 My phoebe's nest was in a stable, and 

 the little ones showed no sign of fear 

 when they were full fledged, for I found 

 this one occupied in the summer time. 

 I did not interfere with the small family. 



The oriole's nest is a woven pouch ■ 

 wonderfully made and swung from a 

 high bough. He is deeply interested, but 

 the female bird weaves the nest with her 

 beak for a shuttle, using strings as well 

 as other materials already mentioned. 

 The last nest I examined had the opening 

 a little below the top, which was some- 

 what covered, and carefully woven loose- 

 ly in the middle to give the nestlings 

 more air. The orchard oriole's nest is 

 not so long as the Baltimore's, and is 

 supported underneath 



A very exquisite nest is the finely 

 woven one of the yellow-breasted vireo, 

 covered all over with a gluey white lace- 

 like looking stuff, either from spider's 

 webs or plant-down. I have seen bits 

 of hornets' nests, paper, etc., in vireos' 

 nests, but all are put together with deli- 

 cate neatness and are attached firmly to 

 the twigs between which it is placed. The 

 humming bird's nest is a perfect gem, 

 covered with lichens and hardly to be 

 distinguished from a tiny tree-knot. This 

 small bird and the little blue grey gnat- 

 catcher take ten days each to complete 

 their dwellings, the gnatcatcher carefully 

 making the plant-down and other fine 

 material into a thick, close felt with its 

 feet. It is usually placed high above 

 our heads. 



Almost every nest is a most interest- 

 ing result of a bird's individuality, its 

 ingenuity, its resources and its fineness 

 of method. I have only spoken of a 

 very few to be found in any winter ram- 

 ble. Ella F. Mosbv. 



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