NEST BUILDING 281 



bird, the tliick felt-like nest of the black masked 

 warbler, or the pendent purse of the oriole. Picked 

 to pieces, the nests of these small birds prove that 

 they contain half a peck of moss, fibre, fine roots, 

 down, hair, wool, et cetera. 



I once watched a pair of orioles building their 

 nest. The first day both birds carried material 

 that looked at the height selected like excelsior 

 and hung it under and over a small elm twig. The 

 second day, the female worked her way into the 

 heart of the hanging mass and began pushing it 

 from her on all sides and lashing it over the twigs 

 above her, while the male constantly carried ma- 

 terial to her. The hammock was finished, and on 

 the third day the nest was built inside and an egg 

 deposited, I think. Of course I could not see, but 

 the young arrived allowing that day as the be- 

 ginning of incubation. 



The rose-breasted grosbeak breaks off and car- 

 ries most of the dead dry curlers of wild grape, of 

 which her artless nest is constructed. The male 

 frequently enters a nest and tries to help build. 

 Usually he is picked when he does it, but then he 

 is a hen-pecked husband anywaj^ 



The cardinal is quite willing to help build his 

 nest, but his disposition is so fiery and he becomes 

 so excited that he accomplishes very little actual 

 work, often betraying a location and driving his 

 exasperated mate to begin work anew in a more 

 secluded spot. 



