304 HOMING WITH THE BIRDS 



confinement and inconvenience of former nests, 

 and determine that in the future she would obviate 

 these difficulties. So remembering the past and 

 providing for the future, in this nest she built 

 a window. She did not build it "instinctively" 

 or the trees would be full of oriole nests with win- 

 dows. She was in advance of her time, and if 

 her progeny follow her example, coming genera- 

 tions may see all orioles building windows. This 

 certainly would be an improvement, for as these 

 nests are built at present the brooding bird is 

 dropped into a deep purse, with no ventilation 

 except at the top, and no way to see a threatening 

 danger in time to avoid it. How this bird must 

 have enjoyed sitting with her head out of the 

 window while she brooded, thus having light and 

 air and seeing any danger to be avoided! More- 

 over, if she did make this window large enough to 

 admit the passing of her body, as it appears to be, 

 it would furnish her a chance to escape in case she 

 was attacked by a night hawk or screech owl at the 

 top of her nest. In the construction of the ham- 

 mock for this nest the bird carried a piece of cotton 

 cord from the nest, passed it around a limb, tied it 

 into slip knots and then incorporated the loose end 

 in the body of the nest. It can also be proven that 

 the window idea is beginning to exist among birds, 

 for after six years of search among the trees around 

 the Cabins I found evidence that another oriole 

 made the same attempt, but not very successfully 



