Chapter III: Part 3

The construction of a home is the result of the united labors of both birds, each collecting and adjusting its own materials. The time devoted thereto varies from six to seven days, and is regulated by the industry of the builders and the _condition_ of the weather. For this purpose a bifurcated branch is first chosen. To this is attached, by means of cobwebs, strips of bark, threads of moss, and the silk of caterpillars, a delicate framework. This is mainly composed of bark, decayed pine-wood, vegetable fibres, etc., held together by silk, and, possibly, in a slight degree, by a gummy secretion supplied by the builders. This structure is long, tenuous, open and narrow, presents a somewhat collapsed appearance, and resembles, though remotely, the perfect fabric. But it lacks shape and symmetry. To give it these essentials, the birds construct an inner nest out of bits of paper, fragments of hornets' nests, and strips of oak bark, which are so arranged as to protrude through the interstices of the outer. It is now the duty of the female, by a few bodily evolutions, to reduce the whole to form. This accomplished, the labor of building is resumed, and a cozy lining, composed of narrow strips of the inner bark of the wild grape-vine, is added. Often white and black horse-hairs take the place of these articles. That this species builds after the fashion described, is proved by actual observation, and also by the finding of abandoned nests which showed the outer, but not the inner arrangement.

The nest represented in the Plate came from Atlantic Co., N. J. It was built between a forked branch of the common laurel. Externally, it is composed of decayed wood, inner bark of plants, silk of caterpillars, fragments of hornets' nests, cocoons of spiders, etc. Internally, there is a thick lining of the inner bark of the wild grape-vine. The external diameter is three and a half inches; internal, two and a half inches; outside depth, two and a quarter, and inside, one and three-fourths inches. A comparison with specimens from Texas, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, shows marked similarities in structure and details of composition.

In the collection of the Smithsonian Institution there is to be seen a nest which was obtained by Mr. Kennicott at the Cumberland House, on the Saskatchewan River. It is pensile, like all others, but is almost exclusively built of pine-needles--a dry and hard material, difficult of management in the construction of such a domicile. With these are intermingled flax-like vegetable fibres, fine strips of bark, and fragments of moss. Within is placed an inner nest composed of strips of bark, pine leaves and fine, dry grasses. The external fabric is rather loosely put together--an unusual feature--but the inner portion, in the compactness and strength with which it was made, is in striking contrast.

After the nest is finished, the female, on the ensuing day, and occasionally not until the expiration of the third or fourth, commences to lay her eggs, at the rate of one daily, until the entire complement of three or four has been laid. Incubation follows closely, usually on the day succeeding the last deposit, and continues for nearly eleven days. This is not the exclusive task of the female, as the male sometimes assists her. When the latter is not thus occupied, it is seldom that he may be found in the vicinity, being absent either designedly, or in search of food. Should the nest be approached at this time, the female sits close, and seems to manifest neither timidity nor alarm. We have often surprised her on the nest, and reached out our hand to take her, when she would watch our actions very narrowly, as if seeking to study our motives, but remaining perfectly motionless all the while. A nearer approach was invariably followed by her sudden departure therefrom. The bird would not wholly desert the nest, but demurely station herself upon an adjoining twig, in order to watch our actions. But with the male it is quite different.

Any attempt at disturbance or pillage is resented with spirit and courage, especially when the nest contains young birds.

The home of this Vireo is often chosen by the Cowbird as a place of deposit for her eggs. So singularly devoted to their alien guests do these foster-parents become, that they nurture them very tenderly, even to the neglect of their own offspring. A case is mentioned where three of these parasitic eggs had been deposited in the nest of the Vireo before any of her own. Without laying any, the female Vireo proceeded to set upon and hatch the intruders. Another case is cited where two Cowbird's eggs were laid alongside of two of the Vireo's. The latter immediately stopped laying and proceeded to incubate. In each of these cases it is evident that the female Vireo forewent her own maternal instincts, and at once conformed to the new situation.

The young are objects of special parental interest. From the time they are hatched, until the period of their leaving the nest to earn a livelihood, they are watched over, and fed with the daintiest fare which Nature affords. Caterpillars, diptera, plant-lice, small spiders and berries, constitute their earliest diet; but as they increase in size and strength, other articles of a coarser nature are added. At the age of twelve days they vacate the nest, but continue under the watchful eyes of their parents a week longer, when they are able to forage for themselves.

The anxieties of brood-raising being over, both young and old, the former in imitation of their parents, seek the tall tree-tops and glean in company. Later, they come down from these lofty retreats to delve among the grasses. Finally, as if disdaining too near an approach to earth, they quickly forsake such groveling pursuits, and seek the viburnum and dogwood bushes, where they find many a rich repast. Here they remain until the last of September, or the beginning of October, when cold weather and scarcity of food compel them to hunt warmer climes.

The eggs of this Vireo vary considerably in size, according to locality; the further south the smaller they are found. Specimens from Northern Alabama have an average measurement of .77 of an inch by .52; from Nova Scotia, .94 by .65; from Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, intermediate localities, .82 by .56, and .83 by 62. The ground-color of all is a clear crystal-white, and they are marked with spots and fine dots of red-brown, which are chiefly found at the larger extremity. But a single brood is raised, although nests with eggs have been taken early in July, which must be attributed to birds whom accident or design had prevented from obeying their natural instincts earlier.

Plate XI.--TRINGOIDES MACULARIUS, Gray.--Spotted Sandpiper.

|The Spotted Sandpiper has an extended and varied distribution throughout North America. Unlike most of its allies, it breeds with equal readiness wherever found, and is one of the best known and most abundant of all its tribe.

From its winter-quarters in the Southern States, and also in the West Indies and Central and South America, to Brazil, it takes up the line of migration about the tenth of April, and gradually spreads itself over nearly the whole country as far north as Labrador and Fort Yukon.

According to Mr. Trippe, it is the only species of its family that resorts to the mountains of Colorado. Here, it arrives early in May, and departs in September. All the larger streams, to an altitude of 8,000 or 9,000 feet, are visited, and, even, in some instances, the shores of the lakes near the timber line.

On their first arrival, the banks of large rivers are frequented; but as the season advances, many trace their way into the interior, along the courses of our creeks and rivulets. Their sole object now is the acquirement of food. For this purpose, a life of solitude is preferable to any other. Although three or four individuals may frequently be discovered together upon the same feeding-grounds, yet careful and repeated observations have convinced us that this occurrence is merely accidental, and not dictated by a desire for company. At such times, the birds become so deeply absorbed in the business before them, that the approach of human beings is unobserved, and the actors are only aroused from the stolidity and indifference into which they have fallen, by the crackling of a dead branch, or the dislodgment of a pebble from its mooring. Conscious of impending danger, but never stopping to inquire into the cause of the alarm, they seek safety in instant flight, and repair to other scenes, at no great distance from the former, whore they think to pursue their gastronomic occupation without fear of being molested.

Such are the colors of this species, that the utmost harmony obtains between them and the hues of surrounding objects. The keen eye of the practised sportsman is often eluded thereby. Were it not for its peculiar habit of wagging the tail, it would be a very difficult bird to locate, especially when in a standing attitude; for whether thus occupied, or running on the ground, or along the rails of a fence, or in the water, this motion seems continual. Even the young, as soon as they are released from the shell, are taught by instinct the same remarkable movement.

Usually about the third week from the time of their first appearance, but sometimes later, the sexes, grown corpulent from good feeding, discard in a measure the "joys of the table," and seek each other's society. From stilly bank of inland pond or stream, or where old Neptune lashes in frenzied mood his solid flanks, their strange and simple call, _peet-iveet, peet-weet_, may be heard in quick succession, louder, and more distinct, than was their wont. Nor do the males alone indulge therein; for the gentler sex oft join their lords in wanton rivalry.

Less whimsical than their aristocratic neighbors who affect the tall tree-tops and shady bushes, the lady Sandpipers are more easily wooed and won. Their ardent lovers have but to make their suits with due obsequiousness, to receive the courted promises. A few more avowals of love, and caresses, and the necessary reciprocations on the part of the females, and the happy lovers having sealed their plighted pledges in a bond of union, the respective parties journey off in search of suitable places for establishing their homes. This event generally occurs about the last of May, in some localities, but sometimes not earlier than the second week of June, in others, and, perhaps, later in the extreme northern limits of its habitat.

A period of three or four days being spent in examining the surrounding country, the various parties soon settle upon localities. While some prefer the borders of ponds and streams, or more retired and secluded situations in the midst of forests, or a corn-field on elevated ground, others, again, have a hankering for low, sandy islands, or marshes by the sea-coast, or even the almost barren beach itself.

This part of the business being attended to, each female begins to construct her nest. For this purpose she scratches a slight hollow in the sandy earth, and proceeds to line it with a few pieces of straw, or moss, or sea-weed, the nature of the materials depending upon the _environment_. When the nest is placed in a corn-field, it is generally built at the root of a hill of Indian corn, and is either lined with straws, or mosses; when upon the seashore, various species of algae are used.

Having finished her rather simple and hastily-constructed home, with as little delay as possible the female commences to deposit her complement of four eggs. This she does at the rate of one egg a day, in as many consecutive days, taking due care to place them with the small ends together in the middle of the nest.

The last egg deposited, the female, on the day thereafter, enters the nest, and commences the duty of incubation. She is not necessarily a very close sitter, especially when her nest is located in a sandy soil, as the heated sand has doubtless much to do with the development of the young. During inclement weather, protection is absolutely essential; consequently, one bird or the other must occupy it, by turns, until the necessity has passed.

While one is incubating, it does not appear that her partner is compelled to play the part of a purveyor of food. Careful examinations have never enabled us to detect the least evidence thereof. When either party is tired, or is severely pressed by hunger, the other is summoned to the spot, to receive the charge of affairs. Thus the business goes on for eighteen weary days, when the happy parents are blessed with a jolly little family.

The young are not the mere helpless creatures such as we have all along been describing, but as active beings, for the age, as it is possible to conceive of. Clad in silken robes of drab, with beautiful stripes of black adown the back, they constitute a merry, rollicking group of birdies. The world to them is a paradise of beauty, and a garden-spot of pleasure. As soon as they leave the shell, they run with remarkable speed, and otherwise exhibit a precocity which seems unnatural at that period of life. Feeding, like running, is instinctive. It cannot be that it is learned by imitation, any more than the exercise of the cursorial powers can be said to be thus acquired.

Although much of the trouble and care which birds generally bestow upon their offspring are thus saved to these fortunate parents, yet the power to discriminate between bad and good food, has to be learned by attention to the commands and actions of wiser heads. The young are not slow to profit from parental suggestions and instruction, for we find them, at the expiration of a fortnight, engaged in foraging with the judgment and adroitness of adults.

Few species exhibit symptoms of greater distress than these Sandpipers when their breeding-grounds are approached by human beings. The parents resort to every conceivable stratagem in order to draw the intruders away. Counterfeiting lameness, and fluttering along the ground with seeming difficulty, are two of the most characteristic devices which they practise for this purpose. But the appearance of a dog considerably heightens the agitation. It is very interesting to watch the actions of the female on such occasions. In order to lead him away from her terrified young, she throws herself before him, flutters away in a contrary direction, but always managing to keep out of the reach of danger. This she continues for some time, until the animal has been drawn to a considerable distance, when she throws off the garb of dissimulation, and takes to flight, leaving her pursuer standing stock-still and gazing with astonishment and disappointment at the remarkable transformation which has just been effected. While all this has been going on, the young have scurried away to places of shelter and security, where they are afterwards joined by their beloved parent, glad to have escaped so fearful a calamity, and grateful for such a happy deliverance.

A more substantial proof of the affection of this female for its young could hardly be imagined than that which Wilson gives on the authority of Mr. William Bartram. The scene of action is described as being on the river shore, and the occasion, the repeated attempts made by a ground squirrel to capture two young birds which a parent was trying to defend. In order to ward off the assaults of the squirrel, she had thrown her two young behind her. At every attempt of the animal to seize them by a circuitous sweep, she would raise her wings almost perpendicularly, assume the most formidable expression of which she was capable, rush forward upon the squirrel, who, intimidated by the boldness of her manner, would beat a precipitate retreat. The enemy, recovering from his defeat, would presently return, and renew the attack, but to be ingloriously driven back as before. The young, as though sensible of their perilous situation, would crowd together behind their protector, and shift their position as she advanced or retreated. This interesting scene continued for at least ten minutes, when the strength of the poor parent was observed to flag. The squirrel perceiving his advantage, became more daring, increased the frequency of his assaults, and would have gained an easy victory had not Mr. Bartram stepped forward from his hiding-place and drove him back to his hole, and thus rescued the innocent.

The eggs of this species are usually abruptly pyriform, of a yellowish-buff ground-color, and are marked with blotches and spots of umber and sienna, which are collected chiefly about the greater extremity, where they are sometimes confluent. Occasionally, some specimens present a more elongated form, and others have the primary color of a yellowish-drab tint, with the markings of a deeper shade. The dimensions vary somewhat in a large collection from widely-separated localities. The largest measure 1.41 by .99 of an inch, and the smallest 1.25 by .94. Considering the size of the bird, they seem to be out of all proportion.

Plate XII.--SPIZELLA SOCIALIS, Bonaparte.--Chipping Sparrow.

|The Chipping Sparrow, so familiar to everybody, is not only one of the most abundant, but also one of the most widely diffused of all our species. It is found from the Atlantic to the Pacific in its two races, and breeds from Georgia to Nova Scotia on our eastern seaboard, and from Vera Cruz, Mexico, northward through Arizona, Utah and California. Although obtained at different seasons of the year in all portions of North America to Mexico, it is a strange and remarkable fact that its breeding-grounds are not equally extensive.

Large numbers of these birds annually winter in the valley of the Colorado, and thence doubtless spread themselves over the whole Pacific region, as far north as Fort Resolution, on Great Slave Lake. In the East they may be seen in companies of a hundred or more from October to April through Northern Georgia and South Carolina, and possibly in the Gulf States.

On the return of mild weather, which generally follows the vernal equinox, these flocks forsake in a measure their winter homes, and journey northward. Those from Northern Mexico pursue a northwesterly course, reaching Arizona about the twenty-fourth of March, where a part remain to breed; but the greater portion pass up the valley of the Colorado, and after receiving fresh accessions to their number, continue their migratory course until they have reached their destination. On the other hand, our Eastern variety tarries longer in the South, and only takes its departure when Nature, awakened from her winter sleep in our Northern States, has begun to put on her charming robe of green. But unlike its Western brother, it arrives in pairs, and never with the show and pomp of a large army. The tardiness of vegetation, and the paucity of insect life incident thereto, have doubtless much to do with the time and manner of its coming. In the Middle States this event happens during the last week of April, and in New England about the fifteenth, but the birds do not seem to become very abundant in the latter section until the beginning of May.

The Field and Song Sparrows, near relatives, are much earlier comers, and are already in full song, making the groves and fields vocal with praises, long before the Chippy has made his appearance. But when the latter does arrive, we must look for his presence in our gardens and orchards, rather than along the borders of thickets, where he commends himself to our favor and esteem by his tameness and sociability. About our doorsides he loves to glean his fare, and when an opportunity offers, will often enter our houses during meal-times. So accustomed to man does the species become, that individuals have been known to present themselves regularly for food, as often as thrice a day, and even to accept the same from human hands.

The male is so absorbed in feeding during the first ten days of his stay that no attempt at singing is made. His only note then is a simple _chip_, indicative of unrest. This is slowly uttered, and at somewhat measured intervals. But later, he essays a song, and throughout the month of roses, his unpretending ditty, which consists of a repetition of the same sound, is kept up for hours together with scarce an intermission. Though poor his reputation as a singer, yet individuals have actually been known to sing, and very sweetly, too, but such cases are wholly exceptional, _et lusus naturae_. Mr. Flagg, in speaking of the male, says, "He seems to be the sentinel whom Nature has appointed to watch for the first glimmerings of dawn, which he always faithfully announces before any other bird is awake. Two or three strains from his octave pipe are the signal for a general awaking of the birds, and one by one they join the song, until the whole air resounds with an harmonious medley of voices." Again, says the same happy writer, "His continued trilling note is to the warbling band of morning musicians which may be heard before sunrise during May and June like the octave flute as heard in a grand concert of artificial instruments."

The singing of the males is the inauguration of a new era in bird-life. The search for food no longer engrosses the attention as of yore, but the all-absorbing passion of love. The sexes cease their solitary wanderings. The females, moved by the touching appeals of the males, leave their native haunts, and join their masculine companions. All is now a scene of bustle and activity. The wooer and the wooed meet and lavish upon each other the most endearing attentions. Happiness reigns supreme. But the acme of felicity has not yet been reached. This is brought about by degrees, and is only perfectly attained when conjugal relationship is assumed.

In some parts of the country this important business is entered into as early as the fifteenth of May, but in others it is necessarily deferred until the succeeding month. The event is unattended by any peculiar demonstrations of joy, and is mostly celebrated in a matter-of-fact, businesslike way; the happy couple proceeding at once to an exploration of the surrounding scenery for a suitable place in which to build a home. This is a matter of little moment, as almost any small tree or low bush is available for the purpose. The nest is never placed on the ground, even in Arctic regions, where so many of our tree-builders vary from this custom to nidificate on the ground. In the vicinity of houses,' small trees, shrubbery and vines are utilized; but in pasture grounds, and on the borders of small thickets, the common red-cedar is chosen. Having selected a suitable site, both birds apply themselves to the task of building for a period of four or five days, when a neat and rather cosy structure is the result. Considerable variation is discernible in the architecture of different individuals. Some nests are rudely constructed, and rather loose and tenuous. Others have much of periphery, but little of thickness and internal depth.

A typical nest is hemispherical, neatly but loosely built, and possesses a cavity very symmetrical in contour. It is usually composed on the outside, except in rare cases, of fine rootlets, and is lined with black and white horse-hairs. In a beautiful domicile before us very few roots are noticeable, the bulk of the fabric being composed of horse-hairs, densely and compactly interwoven, and covered exteriorly with a few fine twigs and lint. Other nests before us are built entirely of fine rootlets. When such structures are found in bushes, and are well secured and protected by enveloping leaves and twigs, a curious anomaly often presents itself. A case of the kind came under our observation in August, 1876. Since that time others have been met with. It is where the nest, instead of occupying a nearly horizontal position, which is the natural one, is placed at an angle of inclination, and bears in the superior third a circular opening. What the object of this aperture can be, it is impossible to say, as the bird could never be surprised while on the nest. Possibly it was designed for the accommodation of the head of the owner while the process of incubation was going on; or, it may have been intended as a mode of ingress and egress, which opinion the position of the nest and its surroundings would seem to warrant.

One of the most curious and exceptional nests which we have ever seen, was obtained in the summer of 1870, in Northumberland Co., Pa. This nest was built upon a small bush, at an elevation of two feet above the ground. Externally, it is composed of dried plants, of an herbaceous character, with seed vessels intact. Internally, there is a slight lining of white horse-hairs. The diameter, on the outside, measures nearly four inches, and the thickness three and a half inches. The diameter of the cavity is three inches, and the depth nearly two. It is a magnificent structure, closely and compactly woven, and exactly hemispherical.

The drawing represents the usual style of nest. The position upon a branch of the red-cedar is one that is frequently chosen. The outside is mainly composed of fine roots of a reddish-brown color, and the inside of an equal mixture of white and black horse-hairs. The dimensions are as follows: External diameter, three inches; internal, two and a quarter inches; depth inside, three-fourths, and outside, one and an eighth inches.

The nest being finished, oviposition commences on the ensuing day, and proceeds at the rate of one egg daily, until the entire number is laid. This varies from three to five, even in the same locality. Incubation commences on the day after the last deposit has been made, and continues for a period of ten days. It is chiefly the duty of the female, although the male occasionally lends his assistance by taking the nest. When not thus occupied, he either polices the premises to guard against intrusion, or is away in search of food. When with young both birds become devoted parents, and evince the greatest anxiety and consternation when their nest is disturbed.

Their actions at such times bespeak fear rather than courage. We have never known them to assume the threatening attitude which characterizes so many of our small species, nor seek to drive intruders away by sharp scoldings and angry gesticulations. But knowing that resistance would be useless, they quietly submit to circumstances, and repair to other scenes where they think to be secure from molestation and harm in carrying out the chief object of their being.

The young are fed at first on various larvæ, especially those of a lepidopterous character. To these, earth-worms, aphides, beetles and flies are added as condition and age require. When twelve days old they are persuaded to leave the nest, and, under the direction of the paternal sire, receive instruction in bird-lore. A period of eight or nine days more, and they earn their own living. They do not forsake their parents, however, but follow them into their old hunting-grounds, and thus help to constitute the small flocks which are generally observed in the fall of the year in our Eastern and Middle States, previous to migration.

The eggs are oblong-oval in shape, and vary considerably in size. They are of a bluish-green color, and are sparingly spotted with umber and dark brown markings about the larger extremity. In some specimens, the latter are grouped after the fashion of a wreath, but this is the exception rather than the rule. The largest specimen we have ever seen measures .80 by .57 of an inch; the smallest, .58 by .47. The average measurement is .72 of an inch in length, and .54 in breadth. The species as far as known is single-brooded.

Plate XIII.--PYRANGA RUBRA, Vieillot.--Scarlet Tanager.

|The Scarlet Taxager, a species but little known outside of the ornithological world, is more generally distributed than the casual observer is aware. According to various authorities, it ranges from Texas to Maine, and from South Carolina in a northwesterly direction to the southern limits of Lake Huron.

In the Eastern parts of Maine and Massachusetts it is but an occasional migrant; while in the western counties of the latter State, it is somewhat more plentiful, and nests in high, open woods and time-bewasted orchards. But it is in the States of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia, and throughout the great Valley of the Mississippi, that the birds more especially abound and rear their young.

Few species are more susceptible to cold and sudden atmospheric changes than the subject of our sketch. As a necessary consequence it is by no means a very early comer. However fond it may be of the scenes of last year's labors and pleasures, it does not forsake the genial climate and perennial groves of its tropical American home, until balmy April has yielded her crown and sceptre to the lovely goddess of May.

The male is usually the first to appear, the time of his arrival antedating that of his sombre-colored, less-favored companion by three or four days, although cases are cited where the sexes seemed to have performed the journey together.

For some time subsequent to his advent, the male is shy and suspicious, keeping away from the habitations of man, lest his brilliant suit of scarlet and black should excite the envy of some cruel and conscienceless collector, and he be summarily called upon, at the peril of his life, to part therewith.

The female, on the contrary, less attractive in style and dress, has fewer human admirers, and is permitted to roam _ad libitum_, and with as much freedom and confidence as any of the little feathered creatures that crowd about our doors.

But a change comes over the males after the lapse of a week or ten days. They may now be seen along our thoroughfares, and in our fields and gardens, acting with none of their former timidity, but endeavoring, by their beautiful plumage, agreeable manners, sweet song and useful service, to ingratiate themselves into the favor and esteem of their human brethren.

Thus affairs continue for nearly a month, the sexes crossing and recrossing each other's paths in their many journeyings, and so intent upon the procurement of food, that the object of their mission is either entirely lost sight of, or else is held in check, for the nonce, by some strong impulse of their being.

Events, however, are ripening for a speedy fulfilment of the business that has called them hither. The males exhibit less anxiety about food-questions, and a positive distaste for the unsettled and lonely lives which they have been leading. A similar feeling, but less conspicuously manifested, pervades and animates the gentler sexes, if outward actions afford proper criteria for judging of internal emotions. But exceedingly more coy than their imperial lords, they keep at a respectable distance, preferring to be wooed and won, rather than assume any other _role_ in the drama.

The duty of taking the initiative step falls to the lot of the male. In order to accomplish this purpose more effectively, perhaps, as he thinks, he seeks the tall tree-tops, and for many a long and weary hour, thrills the ambient air with his sweetest music. We have seen many a venturesome fellow, seemingly unconscious of his surroundings, and wholly absorbed in his voluntarily-imposed task, take his station upon a lofty tree by the road-side, in full view of passers-by, and pour forth his harmonious utterances with all the animation and pathos of his being. Tired at last, he ceases his efforts, preens his feathers, and is off to try his fortunes elsewhere. Thus he keeps up these movements, with necessary intermissions of rest and recreation, during the livelong day, until his song has arrested the attention of some impressible female. This ditty, which is uttered in a low and pensive manner, and which may be rather accurately represented by the syllables _chi-chi-chi-char-ee-char-ee-chi_, has been likened to the well-known notes of the Baltimore Oriole, but we are unable to trace the least resemblance thereto.

His efforts being finally crowned with success, the happy lover is profuse in his attentions and caresses, and leads his willing bride to other scenes, where they spend a brief season of enjoyment, before entering into preparations for establishing a home. As they move through the branches and foliage together, they utter their affection in a low whispering warble, and in tones of singular sweetness and tenderness.

Having celebrated their nuptials, they settle down to the duties of nest-building in earnest. The selection of a site is the first thing that commands attention. This is a matter of no little importance, and one that requires the exercise of considerable judgment. Both birds generally go together 011 this essential business, and carefully ransack the fields and thickets until a location is obtained which is wholly eligible. Nothing occurs in these examinations, if we are to judge from the behavior of the participants therein, to give offence, or mar the happiness of the wedded pair.

The places selected vary according to latitude and the fancy of the builders. Orchards, and groves of chestnuts, oaks, and nut-trees are frequented, and often a preference is manifested for swampy woods if not too dense. In places contiguous to human habitations the builders, especially the male, act with less carefulness than in more retired localities. They are here more secure from the depredations of rapacious birds, the latter having a decided aversion to man, their inveterate and merciless foe.

Building operations are usually begun about the fifteenth of May in the latitude of Philadelphia, towards the close of the month in New England, but never later than the first or second week of June. In its southern breeding-quarters, following the examples of its more distant relatives, it doubtless nests earlier.

The nest is placed upon the horizontal branch of a fruit-tree, usually on the edge of a wood, but occasionally in an orchard. Sometimes it is built over a crotch, which constitutes a more stable position. When a nest is located on the outskirts of a thicket, some species of oak, or the tulip-tree, is generally selected as the recipient thereof. In an orchard, the apple claims and receives this honor. Its height above the ground is mostly from fifteen to twenty feet in sequestered situations, but in cultivated districts, a much lower elevation is chosen.

The labor of building is performed mainly by the female, her partner lending but little assistance. The time devoted to the task seldom exceeds a period of four days, and so loosely are the fabrics put together, in the majority of cases, that they scarcely survive the season for which they were intended.

A structure before us is rather symmetrical and neatly built for the species, and quite shallow. Externally, it is composed of dried twigs, weeds and grasses, variously intermingled. Internally, there is a lining of fine roots, grass-stems, and the inner bark of the chestnut and oak. The outside diameter is five and a half inches, height two inches, diameter of cavity three and a half inches, and depth about half an inch.

Mr. Nuttall describes a nest examined by him as composed of rigid stalks of weeds and slender fir-twigs joined together with narrow strips of apocynum and pea-vine runners, and wound around with thin wiry stalks of the helianthemum, the whole so loosely and thinly plaited as to admit the light quite readily through the interstices.

The Plate represents the average structure. On examination it will be found to be nearly circular above, although somewhat irregular towards the lower two-thirds. The hase is rather loosely constructed of strips of bark, fine stems of vegetables with dried flowers attached, and rootlets of woody plants. Upon this as a basis is wrought, with more compactness and finish, a framework, which is beautifully lined with reddish-brown stems of herbaceous plants, and fine strips of inner bark. The external diameter is five inches, and the height, two inches. The diameter of the cavity is three inches, and the depth one-half of an inch. This nest is shown in its natural position over and partly between a forked branch of one of our common species of oak. The female bird is placed upon the right, as though about to assume the duty of incubation; while her illustrious partner occupies a very dignified position on the left of the picture. All the figures, however, are reduced one-third, so as to bring them within the scope of the page.

Having completed her home, the female almost immediately commences to deposit her complement of four or five eggs, at the rate of one a day, in as many consecutive days. This business being attended to, on the day succeeding the last extrusion, she takes the nest, and for a period of twelve or thirteen days of rather close sitting, supplies the warmth necessary to develop her house-full of children.

It is a remarkable fact, and one that beautifully displays the wonderful wisdom which is taught by Nature, that the brilliantly-colored males studiously avoid the nest, and only approach it, when necessary, with caution and stealth, for fear of betraying its presence; while the females, with their plain coloring in harmony with the surrounding foliage, sit thereon, and care for their helpless offspring without danger of molestation. But if the nest is approached with hostile intention, or is actually invaded, the males emerge from their places of concealment, and assist in carrying its precious treasures away. But how this is accomplished, it is impossible to say. Mr. Minot has known instances where the young have been removed, although many of the cases seemed to be beyond the ability of bird-ingenuity to accomplish.

On one occasion, while our worthy friend was ascending a tree which contained a nest of this species, and that, too, with as much care and quietness as was possible under the circumstances, he was surprised to see the parent birds return several times to the tree upon his arrival at a point which commanded full view of the inside of the domicile. Although the nest was known to contain eggs, which were seen through the interstices from below, his astonishment was undoubtedly heightened, when he discovered it to be empty. He immediately began an examination of the premises, but could find no pieces of broken shells, or traces of yolk on branch, or on the ground beneath. The eggs had certainly been spirited away, but whether they were afterwards returned and successfully hatched or not, he was unable to say.

Notwithstanding the precaution which these birds take in the selection of a building-spot, and the artfulness with which they seek to conceal their home by means of the surrounding leaves, it is a fact, not generally known, but nevertheless true, that much of their prudence and painstaking counts for naught. They may deceive the trained collector, but they cannot elude the sagacity and watchfulness of the female Cowbird, who is ever on the alert and ready to slip into their unoccupied nest and deposit her own egg.

We have known instances where as many as three of these parasitic eggs had been left in the nest alongside of one of the rightful occupant's eggs. A case of the kind came to notice last summer. But whether the owners of the nest would have hatched the intruders or not, we cannot say, as its contents were rifled shortly after the discovery had been made. Owing to its shallowness, it is highly probable that the owners would have thrown them out on becoming cognizant of their presence. With small birds, and also with those which are in the habit of building deep nests, there is considerable difficulty attending such an attempt. The birds are generally obliged to submit to circumstances, and hatch the aliens.

The food of the young is chiefly collected by the mother-bird, and consists of the larvæ of beetles, various species of lepidoptera with mature forms of the same, spiders, plant-lice, diptera and earthworms. These are fed to them for the space of a fortnight subsequent to their leaving the eggs, when they quit for the first time the close precincts of their shallow home, to receive their earliest impressions of the outside world, or to take some lessons in the secrets of bird-lore. Another week more, and they are thrown upon the cold and pitiless world to fight their way as others have done before.

The devotion of the parent to her young is shown not only in the assiduity with which she labors to supply them with the essential articles of diet, but also in the distress which she manifests when they are in perilous situations, and in her efforts to extricate them from the same.

Wilson relates a very touching instance of such devotion. Having taken a very young bird from the nest, he carried it to his friend, Mr. Bartram. The latter gentleman placed it in a cage, which he suspended near a nest containing young Orioles, in hopes that the parents of these birds would be moved to feed it. This they failed to do. Its cries, however, attracted its own parent, who diligently attended it, and supplied it with food for several days. At length she became so solicitous for its liberation, as evidenced by repeated cries of entreaty, that Mr. Bartram could bear it no longer. He immediately mounted to the cage, took out the captive, and restored it to its parents, who accompanied it to the woods with notes of great exultation.

Early in August the male begins to moult, when, after a little, he appears in the greenish livery of the female. In this stage he is not distinguishable from her or his young family. Now is the time for departure, and parents and young forsake with many regrets the land where they have experienced so much real happiness, for the sunny groves of Mexico and Peru, or the breezy forests of their West Indian home.

The eggs of this species vary from an inch to .90 in length, and have an average width of .65. The ground-color passes from a well-marked shade of greenish-blue to a dull white with scarcely the faintest tinge of blue. In some the spots differ in size, are more or less confluent, and chiefly of a reddish-brown color intermingled with a few others of an obscure purple. As a rule, there is a notable resemblance to each other, in the eggs of the same nest-complement, except where, by reason of pillage, or some adventitious circumstance, the female is called upon to deposit, after she has already furnished the necessary number, in order to compensate for those that have been taken or destroyed. It may be the earliest-laid eggs that have escaped the avaricious oologist. In that event, the additional ones must necessarily be lighter in colors, and contrast very strongly with those which remain. Locality has doubtless much to do with color-variations, southern specimens being more sharply defined than those from colder latitudes.

Plate XIV.--HIRUNDO HORREORUM, Barton.--Barn Swallow.

|The Barn Swallow, the chief of its fellows, is the most widely diffused, most generally abundant, and, wherever found, the best known of all our species. None are more universally or deservedly popular.

It ranges throughout North America from Florida to Greenland, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, breeding, strange to say, over nearly the whole of this vast territory.

Such is its attachment to last year's scenes and associations, that it leaves its far-off home in the sunny South rather early, gathering its forces from the plains of Brazil, the spicy isles of the Indies, and the lofty plateau of Mexico, and wends its graceful flight northward.

Unlike many of its kin, this familiar little species does not wait until the soft mild days of May have visited the earth, but, actuated by an overmastering instinct to revisit the land of its nativity, it comes ere the dying throes of the winter-demon have ceased to be heard in the wild March winds.

But the more genial fields and streams of our Southern border-states first invite its presence, and offer it an abiding-place, until its more northern habitats are made to rejoice under the influence of the sun-god. In the Central section of this great land of ours, this generally occurs during the early days of balmy April, when spring may be said to commence in earnest.

Hundreds of these agile creatures, carried away by the exuberance of their feelings, may now be seen either disporting themselves in the atmosphere, or more profitably engaged in pursuing their multifarious prey on swift and noiseless wings.

While some remain in these parts to breed, others retire further north, and take up their quarters in old accustomed haunts; reaching New York and Southern New England towards the close of April, and the more northern portions of the latter section about the first of May. Continuing their migration, a few, according to Sir John Richardson, pass on until they have attained the latitude of 67° 31', where they stop to breed. This doubtless occurs about the last of May, or the beginning of June, if the fact of their nesting at Fort Chippewayan, ten degrees further south, on the fifteenth of May, affords any basis for computation.

On the Pacific coast these birds are less abundant than 011 our Eastern shores. This is attributable to the lack or scarcity of suitable building-places. As settlements multiply, they increase in numbers, especially in the neighborhood of farms. Farther inland, the species is conspicuous for its rarity.

From the time of its arrival until its departure about the first of September, and even during the breeding-period, this Swallow delights in society. When foraging for food, it is not unusual to see varying numbers of birds engaged in the same useful occupation. This habit of gregariousness, which evinces a love for the companionship of its kind, instead of dying out, as is generally the case with many species that might be cited, continues to exist, and manifests itself during the time of nesting by a desire to dwell in communities. But this is not everywhere the case.

In some parts of the country, particularly in the extreme north, the sexes appear to come together only upon arrival at their places of destination. Mating commences either while the birds are in transit, or immediately upon the conclusion thereof; and as nesting commences when they have reached the end of their journey, it is reasonable to conclude that the two follow each other in close succession, leaving no time for the display of those curious antics so characteristic of the feathered creatures.

But in lower latitudes, the first two or three weeks after the arrival of these birds, is spent in the procurement of food. The good which is then accomplished, cannot be fully appreciated, and is of such immense value as to gain for the species the high position which it occupies in the affections of mankind.

During the whole of this time, we have seen nothing that would appear to indicate that courtship is indulged in. Perhaps this necessary business of bird-life is practised in mid-air, while the sexes are skimming through the swaying fluid, or circling in joyous company high overhead. May not the pleasing, lively succession of twitterings which drop earthward, when these lovely creatures are careering towards the dome of heaven, he the love-songs which the males are pouring into the ears of listening females? To be fully appreciated, they should be heard during these exciting aerial movements. When perching, the birds seem less animated; consequently, the music is slower, but none the less agreeable.

Whether this business is in vogue or not among these birds, matters little, so long as the important duty which has brought them hither is accomplished. That this is the case, is indisputable, as the sexes are known to separate from the flocks, and repair to accustomed haunts to build.

The period of nesting varies somewhat according to latitude and the conditions of the weather. In the West, nests have been found with eggs as early as the thirtieth of April, but this was in the vicinity of San Francisco. In semi-tropical regions, it is reasonable to look for an early assumption of matrimonial relations. But in the generality of instances, outside of our warm Southern latitudes, the birds commence to build their domiciles from the fifteenth to the last of May, and, in some cases, even running into the first week of the month that follows.

In the construction of a home, which is usually the work of six days, the builders apply themselves with persevering assiduity, only stopping from their labors, for brief spells of time, in order to rest, or to procure the essential articles of food.

The places selected for this purpose are strange and various. In the wild districts of the West, the birds nidificate in caves that abound in the bluffs along the sea-shore. Near Fort Dallas, Oregon, the basaltic cliffs so common thereabouts are utilized. In the vicinity of Pyramid Lake, Nevada, their nests are placed among the "tufa domes" attached to the roofs of caves, seldom more than one or two pairs being found together. In other localities, in the same section of country, limestone cliffs, crevices of rocks, and sides of wooden bridges, serve the same purposes.

Coming East, where they are much more familiar and confiding, we find quite a change in this particular. Venturing into our crowded cities, they often build their elaborate homes in the porches of dwellings. But the various farm-buildings, which are noticeable in agricultural regions, are generally to be preferred. In such places, the nests are erected on horizontal rafters, or secured to the frameworks, underneath the eaves, after the fashion of the Cliff Swallow's nest. Again, bridges and dilapidated spring-houses are occasionally pressed into service. Besides the foregoing, cases have been cited where the nest of the Cliff Swallow was used, and also one where a small building, of very rude structure--which was temporarily occupied as a blacksmith-shop--was utilized.

Their natural breeding-places, before the settlement of this country, were caves, overhanging cliffs, and like situations. Swallow Cave, at Nahant, was formerly a favorite place of resort. As the country becomes. settled, these places are forsaken for the more convenient ones which the buildings of the farm afford. Such accommodations, experience has shown, tend to a rapid increase in their numbers, for the birds are not slow to perceive the advantages which result from a close familiarity with man.

The nests are constructed of separate layers of mud, from ten to twelve in number, which are often, though not always, parted by strata of fine grasses. The layers themselves are formed of small pellets composed of clay and fine sand, worked over by the birds, and which are adjusted side by side until each layer is complete. The walls being finished, the circumscribed cavity is stuffed with fine soft grass, and is warmly lined with downy feathers. The average height and breadth of such structures when placed on the horizontal rafters of barns is about five inches. The cavity is usually three inches wide at the rim--thus making the thickness of the walls an inch--and about two inches in depth. When placed against the side of a house or of a barn, a strong foundation of mud is usually built, upon which the nest is reared. In that event, the nest is more compactly made, and varies from the preceding, by its more elongate form.

A striking peculiarity of many of these fabrics, is an additional platform which is placed against the nest proper, but wholly distinct therefrom. This is undoubtedly designed as a roosting-place, and is used during the incubating period by the one or the other parent at night, or when not occupied in the procurement of food, or by both when the young have complete possession thereof.

A nest before us which was built upon a horizontal rafter underneath an overshoot, and which may be regarded as typical in the ordinary scientific sense, is composed externally of ten semi-elliptical series of mud pellets, slightly overlapping each other after the manner of tiles, and intercalated with the stems and blades of fine grasses. Similar vegetable materials are found in small quantities on the outside, which serve to strengthen the pellets, thus acting as substantial girders to the entire structure. On the inside is a small layer of the stems of our common timothy grass, which is followed by another of greater compactness, and, finally, by a lining of soft meadow grass. The entire length of this nest is four inches, and it gradually tapers from above downwards, giving the appearance of a longitudinal section of an inverted cone. The depression is two and a half inches wide in one direction, about four in the line of greatest width, and scarcely an inch in depth, the shallowness being compensated for by the greater length transversally.