The greatest interest in the study of birds- 

 centers in their home life. Soon after their 

 arrival from their winter quarters, all birds 

 take upon themselves the duties of reproduction", «§ 

 the first ste^ of which is the securing of a " 

 satisfactory location; some species, such %s 

 Auklets, Petrels, Burrowing Owls, Kingfishers, 

 Bank Swallows, etc., nest at the end of burrows 

 or holes in the ground; a great many nest upon the 

 ground, some laying their eggs upon the bare sand, 

 leaves, or rock, while others build nests, either 

 bulky or slight as suits their respective tastes; 

 hundreds construct their homes among the branches 

 in the tops of trees, and still others swaying g 

 from the ends of the outermost limbs; other 

 species lay their eggs at the bottom of hole a ' in 

 trees, either in natural cavities or in holes dug 

 by their own efforts, the most noticeable in the 

 latter class being the Woodpeckers, wh|^h often 

 chisel their way into living trees. 



The study of nests alone is most interesting; 

 the rude and slight platforms of the Herons,' 

 Cuckoos, Grosbeaks, etc.; the rough but substantia: 

 structures of the Robin; and the ex mite, archi- 

 tectural creations of the Hummingbirds, Orioles, 

 Flycatchers, Bush-tits, etc. Surely the work of 

 some of these little feathered creatures, these 

 "homes without hands", show as great a degree of 

 skill and artistic temperament as is seen in the 

 human race. 



The eg, s of the different species vary through 

 all the tints from white to blue, green and brown, 

 some unmarked, others handsomely specked, spotted, 

 blotched or wreathed with 'different shades of 

 brown, lilac and lavender, and their sizes vary 

 from that of the diminutive Hummingbird to the 

 Albatross, Swan Jtnd California Vulture as the 

 largest North American eggs-, and the Ostich of 



Africa whose 



ill contain several quarts. 



(From "No 



American Birds Eggs" 

 by Chester A. Reed) 



