businesslike and refined in all his tastes. His 

 nest is himself over again : strong, plain, ade- 

 quate, but, like its builder, refined. Contrast 

 the oriole's. Romance, poetry, and that inde- 

 scribable touch— the light, easy, negligent touch 

 of the artist— in every line of it. Why, the 

 thing was actually woven of new-mown hay— 

 as if one should build his house of sandalwood— 

 with all the scent of the hay-field about it. I 

 put my nose near and took a deep, delicious 

 breath. 



The birds had selected and cut the grass 

 themselves and worked it in while green. Some 

 of it was still uncured, still soft and sweet with 

 sap. One side, exposed to the sun through a 

 leaf rift, had gone a golden yellow ; but the 

 other side, deeply shaded the day through, was 

 yet green and making more slowly under the 

 leaves. And this nest was woven, not built up 

 like the kingbird's ; it was hung, not saddled 

 upon the limb— suspended from the slenderest 

 of forks, so that every little breeze would rock 

 it. And so loosely woven, so deftly, slightly 

 tied! 



There must have been a friendly understand- 

 [197] 



