THE DRAGGING-ROPE. 31 



ground, and stretch it out to its full length. Holding 

 opposite ends, they then walk slowly abreast from 

 one side of the meadow to the other, dragging the 

 rope stretched between them, and steadily keeping 

 an eye along its line. When, as soon will be likely 

 to happen, a sparrow, bobolink, meadow-lark, or 

 some other ground-breeder starts up between them, 

 alarmed by the rope, they drop the line and follow 

 its guidance to where the bird was flushed. In a 

 large proportion of cases a desirable nest will be 

 found among the grass-roots at that very point. Such 

 a process will save many steps, and is certainly worth 

 remembering. 



Mr. William Brewster, of Cambridge, has an ex- 

 ceedingly good method of preserving nests, thinking 

 it desirable to keep all of them that he can accom- 

 modate. He has had made a series of deep, square, 

 pasteboard boxes, of different sizes, but the larger 

 multiples of the smaller, so that two or four little 

 ones will fit accurately into a big one. One side 

 of each box, however, is made to let down, being 

 attached only at the bottom, by a cloth hinge. Af- 

 ter a nest is put in a suitable box, therefore, it is not 

 necessary to lift it out to look at it, for you can let 

 down the side of the box (held upright at other 

 times by a rubber band) , when the top and one side 

 of the nest will be open for examination without the 



