I04 LIFE-HISTORIES OF BIRDS 



of Cynip, Aphis mall, Musca domesHca, Tabanus 

 lineola, Tipula f^ri^uginea, Anthrax clongata and 

 Stombxys caldtrans. 



From its first appearance till its departure to 

 more northern habitats for breeding-purposes 

 about the 25th of May, it is the same busy, song- 

 less creature. Its silence should not excite comment 

 nor provoke surprise. With its attention so com- 

 pletely concentrated upon selfish gratifications, the 

 finer feelings of its nature, have a poor chance to 

 develop themselves. The song* of the male is de- 

 scribed by Mr. Nuttall as a simple chant rfe- 

 sembling the syllables te-de-teritse-a, with a loud, 

 drawling and plaintive enunciation. We may 

 add in this connection, that the birds were nesting 

 at the time when Mr. Nuttall surprised the male 

 thus engaged, from which we infer that; likemany 

 others, it becomes empowered with song only 

 when actuated by amatory influences. 



The birds generally nidificate in tall trees within 

 dense thickets; but Mr. Nuttall describes one 

 which he found in a low and stunted juniper, (a 

 somewhat unusual location). According to Dr. 

 Brewer they are "small, snug, compact structures, 

 built on a base of fine strips of bark, bits of leaves 

 and stems of plants." The upper rims are a cir- 

 cular intertwining of fine slender twigs, inter- 

 woven with a few fine stems of the most delicate 

 grasses. The Inner portions of these' nests. are 

 very softly and warmly bedded with the fine down 

 and silky stems of plants. They have a^ diameter 



