NESTLINGS OF FOREST AND MARSH 
One catbird wooing that I watched was 
exceedingly funny, even though it involved 
some heart-burning. The male was a hand- 
some fellow and very popular with the 
pretty ladies in gray. He was something 
of a flirt, I fear, for two of them followed 
him about for days, often quarrelling desper- 
ately for his favor. Finally, by some occult 
choice, one took precedence, and nest build- 
ing was started. But the rejected sweet- 
heart or divorcee would not be pacified, and 
as fast as material was carried to the chosen 
site she scratched it out and destroyed every 
vestige of the structure. How they finally 
settled matters 1 never knew ; but the tor- 
mentor disappeared, and the now happy pair 
began a home in a wild-rose tangle, not 
more than four feet from the ground and 
so exposed that with a field-glass I could 
see most of the housekeeping. There was 
much consulting and trying one bush and 
another before this one was finally chosen. 
Then one day the builders came with a 
piece of newspaper which was placed in the 
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