anyway. I should be afraid that a deer or a bear or some other creature
would step on me. If you want a safe nest, I'll show you how to build
one. You just find a dead limb, not too dead, and bore a deep hole into
it. Put a little soft, rotten wood in the bottom, and there you are!

"'That must be a close, stuffy kind of a nest; enough to smother one,'
said the oriole scornfully. Come with me and I will teach you to hang
your nest on the end of an elm branch. You just weave together some hair
and grass and moss and hang it on a slender, swinging branch, where
nothing can get to it. Then you'll be safe. The wind will rock your
babies to sleep for you and you'll have plenty of fresh air.'

"'I wouldn't like that at all,' said the sand martin. 'I'd be seasick
the first half hour. A good hole in a sandbank suits me much better. To
be sure, the sand sometimes caves in. But that doesn't matter much. A
little hard work will clear your doorway.'

"'What do you do when the high waters come?' asked the phoebe bird.
'For my part,' continued she, 'I like a rock ledge for a foundation with
another one above for a roof. The rock never caves in on you. A little
hair and grass, nicely laid down, with a little moss on the outside, and
you are comfortable and safe. You'll never be drowned out there.'

"'I don't like rocks,' said the robin. 'A fork in a tree suits me much
better. Just lay down a few sticks for a foundation, then weave together
some twigs and grass and plaster the inside with some good thick mud,
and you have a serviceable nest, good enough for anyone. A few feathers
in the bottom will make it soft and comfortable. It may not be so
elegant as some others, but it suits me.'