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no branch supports the nest from beneath ; 

 that the safety of the young orioles depends 

 on good material, well woven together. In 

 some wise way they seem to know at a 

 glance whether a thread is strong enough to 

 be trusted; but sometimes, in selecting the 

 first threads that are to bear the whole 

 weight of the nest, they are unwilling to 

 trust to appearances. At such times a pair 

 of birds may be seen holding a little tug-of- 

 war, with feet braced, shaking and pulling 

 the thread like a pair of terriers, till it is well 

 tested. 



In gathering and testing the materials for 

 a nest the orioles display no little ingenuity. 

 One day, a few years ago, I was lying under 

 some shrubs, watching a pair of the birds that 

 were building close to the house. It was a 

 typical nest-making day, the sun pouring his 

 bright rays through delicate green leaves 

 and a glory of white apple blossoms, the 

 air filled with warmth and fragrance, birds 

 and bees busy ever}rwhere. Orioles seem 

 always happy ; to-day they quite overflowed 

 in the midst of all the brightness, though 



