THE TAILOR-BIRD AND THE ORIOLE. 57 
of these birds is very common indeed in 
America, and her nest is the neatest and best 
made of any. 
She begins by fastening strings of hemp or 
flax round the twigs, just as long as she in- 
tends her nest to be. I daresay you wonder 
how the bird gets her hemp, and I am afraid 
not very honestly. But so great is her de- 
sire to make her nesfc strong, that she will fly 
a considerable distance, to the place where the 
people of the country are employed in bleach- 
ing hemp, and steal as many of the threads 
as she can carry. Her habit of doing this is 
so well known, that the women keep constant 
watch to drive her away. 
When she has stolen her hemp, and fastened 
it to the tree, she next weaves it together, 
mixing her materials with it; and these mate- 
rials are nearer at hand than the hemp was. 
On almost every tree, there grows a moss-like 
plant, that streams from the branches a Kbtle 
like a beard. This serves admirably to work 
up with the hemp ; and she weaves it into a 
kind* of cloth. The nest is in the shape of a 
pocket, and lined with down ; and is always 
placed where the leaves hang over it, and 
