| Montana and Cherree had completed their nest. Three | | | | old nest went on with more speed. Cherree, however, |
| eggs had been laid and one nestling hatched. It was | | | | did not neglect her baby. To feed it and to build had an |
| almost time for the youngster to leave the nest, when | | | | equal appeal, leading to conflict between two desires. |
| the urge came to Cherree to rear another brood. She | | | | Once, as she flew to the nest with a pliable twig, the |
| examined the old nest; decided, apparently, that a little | | | | nestling called loudly for food. Cherree hopped to its |
| building up of the edge would make it as good as new. | | | | side and it gaped, ready for food. The mother wanted |
| That the baby was not quite ready to leave did not | | | | to feed her offspring, yet wanted to use that twig in |
| seem to bother the mother bird. Tana was doing most | | | | her nest. Finally, as the nestling continued to gape, she |
| of the feeding, anyway, so Cherree had time on her | | | | placed the twig crosswise in the wide-open mouth, |
| hands-or should we say on her wings?-and seemed to | | | | which was no solution at all. |
| possess an overpowering urge to hurry before it was | | | | Comparatively little is known of the nesting habits and |
| too late for a second brood. She began collecting | | | | behavior of evening grosbeaks in the wild. Probably not |
| rootlets, which she carefully placed on the inner edge | | | | more than fifty or so nests have been found. Breeding |
| of the nest, then molded them with her breast. With | | | | in captivity has been attempted for many years in |
| the growing youngster in the way, this was a difficult | | | | various countries, without success until 1938, when a |
| feat. | | | | Winnipeg naturalist succeeded in rearing part of a |
| Progress was slow and much of the material fell to | | | | brood. To gain knowledge of how evening grosbeaks |
| the ground. As it has not been known hitherto that | | | | construct their nests; what material they prefer; the |
| evening grosbeaks had two broods in a season, I was | | | | incubation period, of which practically nothing is known; |
| anxious that nothing should interfere with what might | | | | and other facts, I tried for several years to induce |
| be an important discovery. So an abandoned robin's | | | | these birds to breed. In 1936 I succeeded in having |
| nest was fastened close to the grosbeak's nest, | | | | them build, lay eggs, and hatch young, but the nestlings |
| relined with grass and the youngster placed in it. There | | | | lived only a few days. Failures followed during |
| was no objection from either parent, and refinishing the | | | | subsequent seasons, until 1942. |
