194 
ICTEHUS PREDATORIUS. 
though small parties. These mi<frating; flocks are 
u.sually observed from daybreak to eijrbt or nine in the 
morning-, passing to the north, chattering to each other 
as they fly along; and, in spite of airour antipathy, 
their well kno'vn notes and appearance, after the long 
and dreary solitude of winter, inspire cheerful and 
pleasing ideas of returning spring, warmth, and verdnre. 
bclecting their old haunts, every meadow’ is soon en- | 
livened by their presence. They continue in small 
parties to frequent the low borders of creeks, swamps, 
and ponds, till about the middle of April, when they ' 
sep.arate in pairs to breed ; and, about the last week in 1 
April or lirst in May, bcg-in to construct their nest. | 
The place chosen for this is g-enerally within the pre- 
cincts of a marsh or sw-amp, meadow, or other like 
watery situation, — the spot, usually a thicket of alder 
bushes, at the height of six or seven feet from the 
ground ; sometimes in a detat^hed bush, in a meadow 
high grass ; often in a tussock of rushes or coarse rank 
grass ; and not uufrctjiiently on the ground : in all 
which situations, 1 have repe.atedly found them. When 
in a bush, they are generally composed outwardly of we* 
rushes, picked from the swamp, and long tough grass i>* 
large quantity, and w-ell lined with very tiiu! bent. Th« 
rushes, forming the exterior, are gonerally extended to 
several of the adjoining twigs, round which they are 
repeatedly and securely twisted ; a precaution abso- 
lutely necessary for its preservation, on account of tbo 
flexible nature of the bushes in which it is placed. Tbo 
same caution is observed when a tussock is chosen, by 
tastening the tops together, and intertwining the niatO' 
rials of which the nest is formed with the stalks oi 
rushes around. When placed on the ground, less cat® 
and few’cr materials being necessary, the nest is ffluob 
simpler .and slighter than before, the female lays 
eggs, of a very pale light blue, marked with faint tiuge-^ 
of light purple and long straggling lines and d.ashps 
of bkek. It is not uncommon to find several nests k 
the same thicket, within a few feet of each other. 
During the time the female is sitting, and, still mot® 
