ccupation in great anger.

"I may perhaps claim indulgence for adding a little more of the
biography of this particular bird, as a representative also of the
instincts of her race. She completed the nest in about a weeks time,
without any aid from her mate, who indeed appeared but seldom in her
company and was now become nearly silent. For fibrous materials she
broke, hackled, and gathered the flax of the asclepias and hibiscus
stalks, tearing off long strings and flying with them to the scene of
her labors. She appeared very eager and hasty in her pursuits, and
collected her materials without fear or restraint while three men were
working in the neighboring walks and may persons were visiting the
garden. Her courage and perseverance were truly admirable. If watched
to narrowly, she saluted with her usual scolding, tshrr, tshrr, tshrr,
seeing no reason, probably, why she should be interrupted in her
indispensable occupation.

"Though the males were now comparatively silent on the arrival of
their busy mates, I could not help observing this female and a second,
continually vociferating, apparently in strife. At last she was
observed to attack this second female very fiercely, who slyly
intruded herself at times into the same tree where she was building.
These contests were angry and often repeated. To account for this
animosity, I now recollected that two fine males had been killed in
our vicinity, and I therefore concluded the intruder to be left
without a mate; yet she had gained the affections of the consort of
the busy female, and thus the cause of their jealous quarrel became
apparent. Having obtained the confidence of her faithless paramour,
the second female began preparing to weave a nest in an adjoining elm
by tying together certain pendent twigs as a foundation. The male now
associated chiefly with the intruder, whom he even assisted in her
labor, yet did not wholly forget his first partner, who called on him
one evening in a low, affectionate tone, which was answered in the
same strain. While they were thus engaged in friendly whispers,
suddenly appeared the rival, and a violent rencontre ensued, so that
one of the females appeared to be greatly agitated, and fluttered with
spreading wings as if considerably hurt. The male, though prudently
neutral in the contest, showed his culpable partiality by flying off
with his paramour, and for the rest of the evening left the tree to
his pugnacious consort. Cares of