PERCHING BIRDS. 
presence and caresses. Sometimes during this month, as we enter a grove of saplings, 
and glance carefully overhead, we may see the nest placed but a few feet from the 
ground in the fork of a limb. The female, alarmed, will flutter away stealthily, 
and we may not catch another glimpse of her nor of her mate, even though we 
hear them both anxiously consulting together at a little distance. The nest is not 
such an elegant affair as might be desired; it is in fact bulky and rude, if not 
actually slovenly. It is formed entirely of the long, slender tortuous stems of 
woody climbers and similar stout rootlets; the base and outer walls being very 
38° 
to be saluted with the rich, rolling song of the rose-breasted male; and, as 
we penetrate into the deeper recesses, pressing through the stubborn luxuriance 
of vegetation into the little shady glades that the bird loves 4 so well, we may 
catch a glimpse of the shy and retiring female darting into concealment, dis¬ 
turbed by our approach. She is almost sure to be followed the next moment 
by her ardent spouse, solicitous for her safety, and bent on reassuring her by his 
RED CARDINAL AND ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK (§ nat. size). 
