136 WOOD NOTES AND NEST HUNTING. 



on as hopefully as though nothing wrong were to 

 happen. The female alone is the builder; her 

 mate occasionally appears on the scene, but it is 

 only to show himself or perhaps bring to her a 

 sweet morsel from his extensive larder whenever 

 he thinks of the hard time his wife is having. She 

 visits her half-finished home often, but does not 

 remain long, performing with haste a series of 

 pickings and pressings, using her wings much in 

 forming the perfect curvature, and hugging with 

 her chin and bill the outer edges against her 

 rounded breast, that the cavity may be moulded to 

 it. She searches diligently for material near at 

 hand — small strips of barberry-bark, wUlow-down, 

 and tufts from the cotton-grass. How many 

 laborious explorations have been required to con- 

 centrate all these into the little bunch of gray 

 nesting-stuff, and fashion it so accurately in the 

 junction of the three branchlets ! 



Curious to know at what time she left her work 

 for the day, and whether or not she rested on her 

 nest at night, I continued to watch her long after 

 sunset, but now her visits were few and far be- 

 tween. At last, just as a chapel bell at "early 

 candle-light" began its summons to the evening 

 prayer-meeting, she circled near me and flew into 



