materials were scarce and thev must needs 



be diligent. ^^ 



The female was very industrious, never 

 returning to the nest without some contri- 

 bution ; while the male frolicked about the yjn ^rjol^ Nesf 

 trees in his brilliant orange and black, whis- 

 tling his warm rich notes, and seeming like 

 a dash of southern sunshine amidst the 

 blossoms. Sometimes he stopped in his 

 frolic to find a bit of string, over which he 

 raised an impromptu jubilate, or to fly with 

 his mate to the nest, uttering that soft rich 

 twitter of his in a mixture of blarney and 

 congratulation whenever she found some 

 particularly choice material. But his chief 

 part seemed to be to furnish the celebration, 

 while she took care of the nest-making. 



Out in front of me, under the lee of the 

 old wall whither some line-stripping gale had 

 blown it, was a torn fragment of cloth with 

 loose threads showing everywhere. I was 

 wondering why the birds did not utilize it, 

 when the male, in one of his lively flights, 

 discovered it and flew down. First he 

 hopped all around it ; next he tried some 



