BIRDS —NESTS 109 
the ground. There, far up out of reach, sings the ' 
bird; here, not three feet from the ground, are its ' 
eggs or helpless young. The truth is, birds are the 
greatest enemies of birds, and it is with reference 
to this fact that many of the smaller species build. 
Perhaps the greatest proportion of birds breed 
along highways. JI have known the ruffed grouse 
to come out of a dense wood and make its nest at 
the root of a tree within ten paces of the road, | 
where, no doubt, hawks and crows, as well as 
skunks and foxes, would be less liable to find it 
out. Traversing remote mountain-roads through 
dense woods, I have repeatedly seen the veery, or 
Wilson’s thrush, sitting upon her nest, so near me 
that I could almost take her from it by stretching 
out my hand. Birds of prey show none of this 
confidence in man, and, when locating their nests, 
avoid rather than seek his haunts. 
In a certain locality in the interior of New York, : 
I know, every season, where I am sure to find a. 
nest or two of the slate-colored snowbird. It is | 
under the brink of a low mossy bank, so near the 
highway that it could be reached from a passing 
vehicle with a whip. Every horse or wagon or 
foot passenger disturbs the sitting bird. She awaits 
the near approach of the sound of feet or wheels, 
and then darts quickly across the road, barely clear- 
ing the ground, and disappears amid the bushes on 
the opposite side. 
In the trees that line one of the main streets and 
fashionable drives leading out of Washington city, ' 
ne 
