The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1901-10-18
A BEwnDERED PHOEBE.
Interesting Little story OF Nest Build
ing by n Celebrated Nat
urnIfEf


Il had a good illustration last sum
mer OF how limited the mother wit
Of Phoebe bird is when new cOndi-
tiOns and surroundings confront
her" says John Burroughs, IN Bird
Lore. "a pair of these birds had
annually built their nest in a little
niche In a ledge of rocks near my
'Slabsides,' or rather, several years
ago they built a nest there, and as
there was no room for a second nest,
each subsequent spring they had
repaired and refurnished the old one
and reared their brood in it. It was
In a lonely place, at the mouth of
deep recess in the ledge, and I
thought quite secure from all creep
ing and climbing enemies OF the
birds 4 thick growth Of small trees
formed a screen in its front, to hide
and no snake or squirrel could reach
it from the rock itself.
when the nest contained three or
four eggs allowed a young friend Of
mine TO take one for his collection.
This intrusion seemed to invite dis
aster, for in less than a week the
eggs were all gone and the birds had
deserted the place a new stone
house had been built upon the rocks
above me, with a piazza all around
1t, covered by a continuation of the
main roof down the required dis
lance. After much inspecting of this
piazza the birds concluded to build
nest upon the plate beside one Of the
rafters. Now this plate was about
40 feet long and there were ten raft
ers nOtched upon il, and hence ten
places exactly alike. The bird Sc
lected the fourth rafter from the
end nearest the woods, and began
her nest upon the plate beside it.
She was in a great hurry and worked
on the jump so to speak. She got
her mortar in the ditch near nv
cabin. One morning I watched her
for some time. She made n trip
every minute carrying her load up a
steep grade about 100 yards. The
male looked on and cheered her, but
did not help. He perched upon a
dead sunflower stalk near the ditch,
firted his tail and said, or seemed
to say: Go 1T, Phoebe, you are doing
well; you are the wife for me- Every
trip the mother bird made he would
accompany her a short distance and
then return to his perch.
tAs the nest-building seemed IN
usually prolonged, I went up one
morning TO the new house to see how
matters were progressing. Instead Of
one nest, I found five IN process of
construction. Some had only the
foundation laid, others were an inch
or two high, and one was three-fourths
finished. I sat down 10 see what Il al
meant. Presently the eager builder
came with her beak loaded and
dropped down upon one of the nest
foundations. She seemed to hesitate
a moment, as If she had a suspicion
that something was wrong, and then
put down her material and flew quick
" away. The next time she struck
the nearly finished nest and put down
her load without hesitation. I watched
her for half an hour and soon saw how
1t was with her-why she scattered so.
concluded she was misIed by the
sameness of the rafters-they were all
alike, and whichever one she CHANGED
to hit IN her hurry there she deposit
ed her mortar. She had been used to
a ledge where there was but one
building site; but here there were
half a dozen or more, with no percep-
tible difference between them. So
I hit upon plan to concentrate her.
I put blocks of wood or stones in all
the nests but one and watched the re-
suit. When now she came upon these
strange obstacles, she would hover
about for moment until she discOv-
cred the largest and unincumbered
nest, when she would alight upon It
and leave her load. She then soon
took the hint, finished the one nest,
laid her second set Of eggs and went
forward with the incubatio But
the evil fates still pursued her. One
morning the nest was empty. Wheth-
er the mother bird, too, was carried
OF is not known. She was not again
seen about the place.
''The art of the bird IN the new site
was at fault in more than one re-
spect; the moss that served to conceal
her nest upon the gray messy rock
only emphasized it and made it con-
spicuous upon the new yellow tim
Der"