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How to Study Birds
THE NESTING SEASON
BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN
FOURTH PAPER
THE NEST
The material of which a bird's nest is constructed depends primarily upon the nature of the bird's haunts, The nests of marsh- haunting birds are usually made of reeds or woven of wet marsh grasses ; woodland birds generally employ twigs, roote lets, bark, leaves, mosses, etc., while field~inhabiting species, as a rule, use chiefly dried grasses.
It follows, therefore. that a change in the nature of a bird's haunts is apt to be attended by some variation in the character of its nest. At the northern part of its range the Green-crested or Acadian Flycatcher builds its nest of plant-stems, grasses and dried blossoms, but in Florida its nest is composed wholly of the Spanish or Tillandsia ‘moss.’ In the east, Night Herons build in trees, when the nest is made of twigs
and sticks; but in the west the nests of Night Herons Varialian: may be constructed of the reeds among which they are
placed. Orioles nesting near a house often gather the strings, worsteds, etc., to be found there; while individuals of the same species, for which theSe objects are not available, still select plant fibers for their nests.
Under the same conditions of environment a change in the nature of the nesting site does not, as a rule, appear to affect the character of the nest. Robins' nests are much the same, whether the bird builds in a tree or on a window-sill. The Ospreys of Gardinet's Island which nest on the ground, with one or two exceptions, gather as much nesting material as do the birds that nest in trees, though their nesting site calls [or little or none.
The nests of the Pelicans of Pelican Island, Florida, however, vary, as a rule, in relation to their situation, those that are placed in trees being necessarily composed of sticks; while, in my experience, it is ex» ceptional to find, among the hundreds of ground nests, one in which sticks are employed.
In some instances the necessity for concealment apparently exerts an influence on the nesting material. What is generally spoken of as "nest
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N esting [Material
