450 LAND BIRDS 



a dwelling, were less confiding than the first pair, and 

 the male tried many little wiles to coax intruders away 

 from his nest, though there were as yet no eggs in it. 



The nest-making of the yellow-throated vireo has 

 been so finely described by Mr. Hutchins in " Bird Lore," 

 August, 1902, and so exactly resembles that of the 

 Cassin Vireo, that I quote from it: 



" The birds built the rim of their nest stout and 

 strong, twisting the web about the twigs over and over 

 upon itself where it stretched from twig to twig, till I 

 wondered at their patience and ingenuity. Inside and 

 outside the little heads would reach, with the prettiest 

 turns and curvetings imaginable, till, as the nest grew 

 deeper, the work was done more and more from the 

 inside. Then it was gathered together at the bottom 

 with side joined to side. When this part of the work 

 first took place, the nest seemed to be strangely lacking 

 in depth, and had an unshapely look altogether. But 

 this was the point where the full revelation came to me 

 of how the deepest part is shaped. I saw the bird at 

 this stage inside the nest raise her wings against the 

 upper rim and the twigs which held it, and strain with 

 her wings upward and her feet downward till the nest 

 grew so thin I could see through it in places. Then 

 they began weaving in more material to thicken and 

 strengthen sides and bottom where these had become 

 thin and weak through stretching. This was done 

 many times until proper depth and thickness were both 

 secured." 



