Vol. XX "I 
1 9 ° 3 J 
Harvey, Diary of a Cardinal's Nest. 
55 
and accompanying her on each trip. They worked in the morning 
only. The site was a difficult one for building and a great 
quantity of stuff was wasted before the foundation was finally 
established. It was interesting to observe that when a stem fell 
to the floor instead of lodging in the crotch where it was put, the 
bird never picked it up, but flew off in feverish haste for another. 
At one stage of the proceeding there was much more nest on the 
floor than in the vine. When finished, it was unusually strong 
and elaborate for a Cardinal’s nest, which is apt to be alarmingly 
frail and slight. They used in it a great amount of paper. The 
Cardinals’ nests which I have examined always contain one or 
two pieces of paper, but this one had an entire layer of eight or 
ten pieces. The supports and outer layer were of fine twigs and 
weed stems, the next layer paper, the next of the thin bark which 
they peel from grape vines and honeysuckles, and which is charac- 
teristic of all Cardinal’s nests. The lining was dried grass. 
The nest was completed on the first of May and the first egg 
was laid the next day. Four eggs were laid. The female did 
all the work of incubation, while the male fed her frequently. 
Occasionally the female would give a loud whistling call, which 
the male immediately obey'ed, sometimes bringing her food, some- 
times taking a stand near by while she went out for herself. 
The conservatory in which the nest was built communicates 
with the dining room by means of two glass doors and with the 
kitchen by an open window. The nest was on a level with the 
eyes of a person standing in the dining room and was about five 
feet from one door and about eight feet from the kitchen window. 
The position was very exposed, as the Marechal Neil is a spindling 
vine, and provides not such covert of leaves as the bird usually 
selects. The female bird, who in the winter is much less bold 
than the male, was now exceedingly courageous, remaining on 
her nest while we watered the very plant in which it was fixed. 
Noises in the kitchen did not trouble her in the least. As soon as 
the birds began to build we scattered their seed on a shelf near 
by instead of in the usual place outside. They did not resort to 
it much until after the young were hatched. After the little ones 
were flown the old birds seemed to rely upon this supply altogether, 
coming to it many times a day. 
