Concord, Mass.
1899.
June 
(g)
(Setophaga ruticilla) or beak.
  The next day (May 18th) she began using cocoon
fibres as well as milkweed bark. The former she
obtained from a grove near the top of the cabin door
in front of which she would hover on rapidly vibrating
wings until the exertion compelled her to alight for a
moment to rest & regain breath either on the top of the
door or its hand knob. As soon as she had filled her
bill she would fly to the birch, alight on the branch
and distribute her load around the inside of the
nest; then hopping into it and squatting down with head
& tail raised and back deeply hollowed she would move
slowly around to the right and then to the left, making
usually a half but sometimes a whole turn and,
with her head and breast, pressing the materials which
she had brought into the meshes of the framework
until they were completely filled. Working then, always
from the inside, she modeled and remodeled until by
the constant application of fresh material she had
transformed the original skeleton framework into a
compact, finely woven nest. Occasionally she would
drop directly into the nest without first alighting
outside but she did not attempt to perch on its
rim until it was nearly completed.
  After putting in the lining, which consisted of
horse hair, dry grass, and shreds of birch, grape vine
and [?] bark, she drew in the loose ends which
had been left projecting or hanging down around the top
and outside of the nest. These ends were drawn & tucked
in to bind the lining and were held down by the bird's breast
107