92 
HARPER’S NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE. 
work is often begun late, and, being hurried 
through, is done badly; on the other hand, 
leisure often causes nicety, and even unnec- 
essary labor. 
That refrain of plaintive whistles which 
we now hear comes from the meadow-lark 
in that tree ; he has a bright yellow breast 
with a black crescent on it, and some white 
feathers in his tail. Now he leaves the 
tree, and flying across the meadow with 
quivering wings, drops into the grass; but 
his nest is probably in that dry patch where 
the land begins to slope back toward the 
farms. I can not undertake to say that we 
plused by the caution and cunning of the 
architects. You will facilitate your work 
by scattering cotton -wool, horse -hairs, 
straws, string, worsted, and cloth where they 
will attract the attention of the birds about 
you. Put them on your lawn or on the 
piazza Adnes, and watch them. A robin 
comes to carry off the string, and having 
used up what you have provided, and lik- 
ing the material, attacks a long piece wound 
round a stake, and supporting a gladiolus. 
By persistent effort he frees a part of it, but 
the harder that he pulls at the rest, the tight- 
er he ties the knot around the stake, and the 
GOLDEN-CROWNED WREN’S NEST. 
shall find it by going there, for the meadow- 
lark’s nest is usually hidden beneath an 
archway of the long, dry, and tangled mead- 
ow-grass. So completely is it often conceal- 
ed, that you can find it only by frightening 
the sitting female suddenly, and making her 
fly up from the archway. Then, by explor- 
ing carefully, you may catch sight of the 
eggs, which are white, witli brown and lilac 
spots. Were not the birds so common, I 
should not in all probability have been able 
to present you with a description of their 
retreats, or, if I could, should feel very proud 
of doing so at first-hand; and any beginner 
may justly take pride in discovering one of 
them. The best way to find nests is to 
watch a bird while building; in that way, 
moreover, you are sure to see them in their 
best condition, and to know when the eggs 
are fresh. It requires patience; but you 
see the workers return again and again to 
the same spot, and a little closer inspection 
usually completes your knowledge, though 
you may sometimes be deceived or non- 
string is becoming entangled with his legs ; 
he fights twenty minutes, and then gives it 
up. Sparrows pick up hairs and straws 
from the lawn, and warblers come to the 
vines for cotton -wool, passing fearlessly 
within three feet of your chair ; then they 
come back to break off little twigs and to 
peel off shreds of dry bark from the honey- 
suckle. A pair of golden robins — the male 
with black and orange, the female with 
yellow and duller black — come for string, 
worsted, and thread; but beware of them, 
for they are thieves. Leave your knitting 
under the tree there for five minutes, and 
it is gone ; you will find it a week later, a 
part irrevocably woven into the hanging 
nest, and a part dangling with the needle in 
it. The weaving is so cleverly done that 
you wonder whether the orioles haven’t 
used your needles. Not at all, madam; I 
fl e fy y° u t° produce with your implements 
such a piece of work as these birds have 
produced with their bills. Successful ex- 
periments have been made by supplying 
