Song Birds and Water Fowl 



blend with its surroundings; a precaution 

 which, quite unconsciously to the builder, pro- 

 duces one of the most pleasing effects of rustic 

 art. As an instance where still greater difficul- 

 ty in meeting the requirements of the case is 

 matched by increased skill, we may cite the 

 nest of the Baltimore oriole. Whatever motive 

 may have induced this bird to adopt its elegant, 

 pensile form of a nest, its situation at the tip- 

 end of a slender, swaying branch, is manifestly 

 conducive to the utmdst security from all sorts 

 of foes ; and this was not improbably the main 

 consideration in deciding its location. Yet, on 

 the other hand, when so placed, the nest is 

 peculiarly unstable in its exposure to wind and 

 rain, and demands much greater skill in its 

 weaving and attachment to the branch ; which 

 makes this nest one of the most remarkable and 

 beautiful structures of its kind. 



While safety and durability thus apparently 

 determine the general character and situa- 

 tion of the land birds' nests, it also evidently 

 suits their convenience to place them about in 

 the plane of their average flight. The ground 

 seems as inappropriate a place for a hawk's or 

 crow's nest as the summit of a tall tree for the 

 abode of a low-flying sparrow or a ground war- 



146 



