Birds' Nests 



sapling, fourteen feet high, that swayed with 

 the slightest breeze. The nest was constructed 

 after the manner of our Baltimore oriole, pret- 

 tily woven of the bleached sea-weed called eel- 

 grass. So well constructed was this nest that, 

 had it not been for the female sitting on it, I 

 should have taken it for a nest of the oriole." 

 In other words, this so-called clumsy builder 

 felt constrained, for some reason, to nest in a 

 very perilous situation, where its usual style of 

 structure would be entirely inadequate. It im- 

 mediately rose to the occasion, utilized its la- 

 tent talent, and vied with our most artistic spe- 

 cies in the beauty and durability of its edifice. 

 This certainly argues that the actual product 

 of any species is no certain measure of its abil- 

 ity, and makes the supposition reasonable that 

 even water fowl, if compelled by circum- 

 stances, would prove as skilful as any of the 

 land species. 



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