44 
BIRD CRADLES. 
The Politician (the White-eyed Vireo). 
wood, and and vari¬ 
ous other ingredients. 
It was this well-known 
propensity of the bird that 
won it the name of “ the 
Politician” from an orni¬ 
thological friend of Wil¬ 
son ; an apjDellation espe- 
ially given to the white¬ 
eyed vireo, although from 
my experience the others 
are equally deserving of 
the soft im2Deachment. 
How often have I paused 
in the woods to study the 
strange ingredients of 
these vireos’ nests, of 
which I have dissected at 
least a hundred, in many 
of which the newspaper 
had formed an element. 
And why is it that I am 
always led with such eager 
quest — ^^es, even at the 
risk of life and limb on one 
occasion — to scan these 
r a g g e d, weather - beaten 
fragments of 2)rint, as 
though consulting the ora¬ 
cle ! ’Tis true they usually 
disclose but little intrinsic 
reason for their consj^icu- 
ous jDi’eferment, though I 
do remember one or two 
excej)tional instances ; 
once in my boyhood, when 
I enjoyed a great laugh 
at the disclosures of one 
such literary fragment, the 
2)recise nature of which has 
esca2)ed me, save that it 
w^as an advertisement hav¬ 
ing a comical relation to 
the bird world. But my 
memory is distinct of hav¬ 
ing brought the editorial 
selection home in my poc¬ 
ket, wdiere it was subse¬ 
quently forgotten and re¬ 
duced to 23 i among the 
jack-knives, buttons, jack- 
stones, and other usual 
concomitants of the small 
boy’s outfit. The nest I 
well remember. It was 
sus2)ended in a small 
thicket and variously sup- 
