Transcriber Notes
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=.
[Illustration: EGGS.
1. Goldfinch. 2. Magpie. 3. Bullfinch. 4. Starling.
5. Chaffinch. 6. Raven. 7. Linnet. 8. Rook. 9. Wren.
]
Birds' Nests, Eggs
and Egg-Collecting
By R. Kearton, F.Z.S.
Author of "With Nature and a Camera," "British
Birds' Nests," "Wild Life at Home," etc. etc.
_Illustrated with 22 Coloured Plates_
[Illustration]
Cassell and Company, Limited
London, New York, Toronto and Melbourne
1913
First printed _February 1890_. _Reprinted June 1890, May 1893._ New
and Enlarged Edition _January 1896_. _Reprinted June 1896, November
1898, July 1900, March 1902, September 1903, July 1905, December 1907,
January 1913._
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
PREFACE
The very kindly reception by the press, and a steady public
appreciation, have led to this endeavour to make my little book
more complete, by preparing an Enlarged Edition, including all
British-breeding birds that have now any reasonable claim for
treatment. The work deals with a number of more or less familiar winter
visitors that do not stay to breed with us; however, this is perhaps an
advantage nowadays, when we all travel much and far.
As mentioned in the preface to the first Edition, this book is not
intended to encourage the useless collecting of birds' eggs from a mere
_bric-à-brac_ motive, but to aid the youthful naturalist in the study
of one of the most interesting phases of bird life. It is to be hoped
that the Act of Parliament empowering County Councils to protect either
the eggs of certain birds, or those of all birds breeding within a
given area, will be of great benefit to many of our feathered friends.
Besides a pretty extensive experience, I have, in the preparation of
this work, sought the aid of such excellent authorities as Yarrel
(fourth Edition), Seebohm, Dixon, and others, to all of whom I
gratefully acknowledge my indebtedness.
R. KEARTON.
Boreham Wood, Elstree, Herts,
1896.
Works by R. KEARTON,
F.Z.S., F.R.P.S.
KEARTON'S NATURE PICTURES
THE FAIRYLAND OF LIVING THINGS
BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS
OUR BIRD FRIENDS
NATURE'S CAROL SINGERS
WILD NATURE'S WAYS
WITH NATURE AND A CAMERA
PICTURES FROM NATURE
WILD LIFE AT HOME
THE ADVENTURES OF COCK ROBIN
AND HIS MATE
THE ADVENTURES OF JACK RABBIT
STRANGE ADVENTURES IN DICKY-BIRD
LAND
Cassell and Company, Ltd., London, New York,
Toronto and Melbourne
BIRDS' NESTS, EGGS, AND EGG-COLLECTING
INTRODUCTION.
=The Problem of Preservation.=--As a rule the first subject to which
the young naturalist turns his attention is the most interesting one
within his reach, and that subject is undoubtedly found in bird-life;
particularly that portion of it which concerns the nests, eggs, young,
and various modes of nidification, for this is really the kernel of
ornithology. Its details teach him the utility of systematic study and
close observation, two important points in all matters of scientific
research.
It is my intention in the following pages to furnish as full and
interesting particulars on Oology, which may fairly be entitled to the
dignity of a science, as can be found, or is likely to be required, in
any popular treatise of its modest compass.
This particular branch of natural history has been until lately but
indifferently studied--in fact, considered unworthy of higher attention
than that which could be bestowed upon it by schoolboys. People have
been content to know that the wonderful architecture and mechanism of
a bird's nest was the outcome of a force vaguely known as _instinct_,
without taking the trouble to discover its workings, extent, or limits.
Instinct is an extremely difficult power to define, and whether it be
described as "hereditary habit," or simply accepted as an unknown law
of Nature blindly followed by its possessor, it cannot be denied that
it is the outcome of conditions, and always amenable to them. If the
word mystery were often substituted for instinct, it would not be at
all out of place, for it means quite as much. It is more honest to
acknowledge our ignorance than to fence it round by speculative theory
or cover it by almost meaningless phrases. Survival of the fittest
is undoubtedly Nature's great law. With this end in view she governs
and regulates the actions of birds in exactly the same way as she
controls the colour and character of their plumage, shape, size, tint,
and number of their eggs, first movements of their young, and other
peculiarities we do not understand.
If we grant that birds possess highly-developed imitative faculties
and tenacious memories, with a discriminating power which enables them
to adapt certain habits of life to surrounding conditions, even this
fails to explain a great deal. Supposing it is the secret of their
beautiful nest-building, the house sparrow adopting trees to nest in
where the houses are built of brick and lack crevices, or the falcon
deserting its usual high inaccessible crag and nesting on the ground;
it cannot possibly account for a young duck taking the water directly
it has left the shell, or the habit of young plovers, snipes, grouse,
and other birds crouching flat when danger is overhead even as soon as
they are hatched. A stronger point still is migration, for birds cannot
return to their old haunts by a memory of landmarks, as pigeons do even
in their longest flights, for they fly over immense bodies of water
and traverse vast tracts of land by night, on wings the length and
strength of which have been specially developed for such long flights.
Some fly across great stretches of country, yet are never seen except
at the points from which they start and finish their flight. Neither
can these journeys be performed always under the guidance of leaders,
for all migratory birds do not travel in flocks.
I will endeavour to point out how Nature has solved the problem
of preservation; and it is equally interesting whether by the
self-governed action of the bird, or the blind following of an impulse
known only as instinct. Because we are unable to find any protective
colouration in the plumage of a bird, its eggs or nest, we must
not conclude that such peculiarity is a mere accident or useless
decoration, for it either serves some wise end unknown to us, or has
done so in far past ages, and is perpetuated because its possession is
not distinctly harmful, and may at some future date be again called
into requisition against danger. The extinction of nearly all birds
whose existence is reasonably well-known has not been due to natural
causes, but to man or the influence his civilisation has introduced.
Nature never made such a mistake as the introduction of rabbits and
sparrows into Australia. They are two potent forces turned loose into
practically unrestricted space, without any of their natural limiting
influences.
=Protective Colouring of Birds.=--The protective colour of the plumage
of certain birds is the great source of their safety during incubation.
For instance, birds which nidificate on the ground, such as Black
and Red Grouse, Pheasants, Partridges, and Sandpipers, all subject
to the depredations of winged and creeping enemies, are preserved by
the modification of their tints. The same means of security attend
their eggs and downy young, even the extreme simplicity of their nests
aiding the escape of detection. Birds whose down has protected them
during the early part of their history, become aware of the dangers
which threaten a more conspicuous plumage, which is a marvellous thing,
whether acquired by reasoning or instinct. This is proved by the action
of birds of the same order. The Golden Plover, with plumage in harmony
with the surroundings of her nest (her feathers being still further
subdued in colour during the breeding season), sits much closer than
the Green Plover, although a shyer bird, with eggs possessing the
same protective qualities. The Green Plover knows her plumage is much
more conspicuous than her eggs, and quietly slips away before danger
approaches half so near as the golden plover will allow it.
I am surprised to find so great an authority as Darwin assert that "the
species which represent each other in distinct countries will almost
always have been exposed to different conditions, but we can hardly
attribute to this action the modification of the plumage in the males
alone, seeing that the females and the young, though similarly exposed,
have not been affected."
Possibly such may be the case where no protective modification is
necessary in the female or young; but what about the fact that female
Red Grouse differ much in the colour of their plumage, according to the
conditions under which they live, though the males are left totally
unaffected? Instance the female Grouse, known as the "Moss-hen," always
found on the highest and most exposed situations where there is little
cover, consequently great need of harmonising colours: a strong point,
I venture to assert, in favour of protective utility.
Moulting has been rendered subject to the law of preservation in a
remarkable degree, for where birds are open to periodical changes of
surrounding conditions which materially affect their existence, they
are provided with an extra moult. For example, the Ptarmigan's plumage
is pure white for winter snow, and brown for summer heather.
The stoat's fur undergoes a similar change of colour; and more
marvellous still, to pursue the preservation argument into the water
world, take a common trout, and chase him up and down a shallow pool
until he has become thoroughly scared, and it will be found that
wherever he rests for a few seconds his colour will change in obedience
to that of the bed of the stream directly beneath him; so much so that
I have known one half of a trout very dark and the other half very
light coloured, correspondingly with objects beneath and around him.
Again, the same high authority points out that "the feathers of young
birds are in male and female similar to the female parent when she is
of a dull colour, but like the male when he is dull and the female
bright; also, when both parents are of a conspicuously bright colour
the young take a dull colour of their own"--for example, Robins. He
infers that these colours represent those of far distant progenitors;
but as safety lies in these modified tints, and preservation being
Nature's chief problem, it is more reasonable to suppose that Nature
lends this means of protection whilst the bird is in its most helpless
condition, for an evolution that tends to increase dangerously
conspicuous colours would only seem to invite extinction.
In another place he says "it deserves especial attention that brilliant
colours have been transferred much more rarely than other tints." Yes,
simply because they are generally a source of danger to the possessor.
Three familiar instances of special modifications in the plumage
of the female are to be found in the black grouse, pheasant, and
blackbird, all nidificating in situations more or less fraught with
danger. Remarkable again is the fact that where the female is more
conspicuously marked than the male the latter takes upon himself the
duties of incubation entirely, or renders a great deal of aid, which
is strong proof that dull subdued colours have been adopted for the
preservation of the young in their several stages of helplessness.
=Protective Construction of Nests.=--It is surprising again to find
Darwin, in arguing that few British birds build covered nests to
protect themselves against the conspicuousness of their own colours,
citing the Dipper as an instance of this. But what about the white
breast of this bird, which marks it out at long distances against
the dark rock or water? Again, her pure white eggs are manifestly a
source of danger, more conspicuous even than the bird. It must not be
supposed I overlook another important feature in the covered nest of
this bird, which is, however, subservient to the bird's desire to hide
her white plumage and eggs, which renders it equally preservative in
character. The bird generally builds near a waterfall, often quite
behind, undoubtedly for the safety this situation affords, and she is
not only obliged to construct a covered nest, but one which must keep
out the constant dripping of water percolating through fissures in the
rock. The construction of this nest even cuts off the chance of a stray
splash of water finding its way to the eggs or young during the parent
bird's absence, by the peculiarly ingenious entrance she makes to her
little home.
Still further, where birds are conspicuous in colour they either build
covered nests, or place them in such situations as afford safety, and
are thus equivalent. For instance, the Woodpecker, Kingfisher, and
Magpie, the two former having a double object in the selection of a
situation, firstly their own eminently brilliant colours, and secondly
their pure white eggs. The latter building a covered nest of such
materials as thorns, seems to point to a strategic planning against the
immorality of the family to which he belongs.
=Periods of Incubation and their Utility.=--The Duck family all lay
eggs white, or nearly approaching it, and take the precaution to cover
them carefully on leaving the nest.
Some naturalists have been of opinion that this is to prevent an undue
escape of the heat generated by the parent; however, I am unable to
find any observations to prove that these birds leave their eggs for
feeding purposes longer than any others that hatch their young in
three weeks. Neither does it appear that they transmit heat better or
worse than birds of entirely different habits, for it takes a Fowl
four weeks to hatch a Duck's egg, and a Duck will on the other hand
hatch a Fowl's in the normal time, three weeks. It appears that the
period of incubation is regulated with a great amount of precision by
the contemplated habits of life, the difficulties to be overcome, and
dangers to be endured, as the following facts show:--
A Pigeon hatches its young out in sixteen days, and by a special
process and careful assiduity feeds them until they are almost full
grown. A Fowl, though not capable of feeding her young in the same way,
possesses the power of defending her offspring, finding and selecting
suitable food, and attending to their education generally in a higher
degree than the Duck can bestow on her progeny, which take four weeks
to hatch.
To still further illustrate this wonderful regulating principle,
let us diverge for a moment from the eggs of birds to those of
fish, where we find things adapted with incredible precision to the
surrounding conditions of existence. I have noticed that trout living
and being obliged to deposit their ova in a stream subject to great
variations of temperature, spawn much earlier than trout in a stream
preserving a comparatively even temperature. The condition of the
latter in comparison with the former showed unmistakably that the
difference of food supply did not account for it, and as the fry in
both streams appeared about the same time in the spring, and exhibited
no appreciable difference in size or strength during the summer, the
natural conclusion to be arrived at is that the time required for
hatching in each stream is contemplated and provided against in some
mysterious way.
=Mechanical Construction of Eggs.=--We now come to another phase of the
protective principle, even more remarkable than those we have already
discussed, and equally useful. This is in the mechanical construction
of eggs to suit their situation and surrounding conditions. What an
admirable provision Nature has shown in placing the axis of a bird's
egg just where it will prevent it rolling off a flat surface, such as a
ledge of rock, when moved by the terrible gusts of wind that sweep over
high latitudes, or perhaps roughly moved by the parent bird suddenly
fluttering off when scared.
Take, for example, the egg of the Guillemot. This is so wonderfully
constructed that if moved it will not roll away like a marble or
billiard-ball, but simply spins round on its axis, in the same way
as a screw or top, showing a wonderful adaptability to the exposed
situation chosen by this bird for incubation.
Birds which make round, cup-shaped nests or incubate in holes, such
as the Owl and Kingfisher, for instance, lay round eggs, which run no
risk of rolling away and being smashed. Their shape also facilitates
alteration of position of the parent bird to secure an equal
distribution of warmth and ventilation.
Were the Guillemot and either of the latter birds to change nesting
situations for a while, it is probable a speedy extermination of the
species which adopted the flat rock for the round egg would soon take
place, affording a beautiful illustration of the power that is also
guiding the action of birds under the mysterious name of instinct. It
is an unknown and unknowable power, yet its workings are as undeniable
as its results.
As a further illustration, let us take the eggs of the Golden and Green
Plovers, and consider for a moment their size, shape, number, and
colour.
All these qualities serve some well-defined and demonstrably useful
end. Firstly, their size is abnormally large compared with that of the
layer, but this is a provision which supplies the necessary size and
strength of the young bird to enable it to cope with the surrounding
conditions of its first days of self-feeding and locomotion amongst
coarse grass and other obstacles.
Secondly, the shape of the egg serves to economise space, an important
point where the eggs are large and the bird small. Thus the four
pear-shaped eggs, having their small ends all pointing to a common
centre, practically form a square, and thus enable the bird to cover
them all at the same time.
Thirdly, the number of eggs is always four, and by such limitation the
form of the square is preserved, and the difficulty of a small bird
covering a number of large eggs satisfactorily surmounted. I have often
disarranged the order of Plovers' eggs, but always found that the first
thing done by the bird on her return was to reduce chaos to order by
turning the round ends out and the small ones into the centre of her
little household.
Lastly, we come to the beautiful harmony of colouring of the eggs with
surrounding objects, rendering them often very difficult to find, even
by a practised eye, and the scant nest still further aiding in the
chances against discovery.
The Sandpiper affords an admirable instance of the assimilation of its
eggs to surrounding objects, and the extreme difficulty experienced in
finding them attests to its protective utility.
=Why Eggs Vary so much in Point of Number.=--The number of eggs laid by
birds of different orders seems to be regulated by the danger to which
they are exposed and the amount of food which the parents will be able
to supply.
Thus, the Eagle in its inaccessible eyrie enjoys almost perfect
immunity from danger, and has only two young ones, for which, however,
the supply of food is only equal to the demand, and it is probable that
one more voracious appetite would seriously endanger the safety of the
whole family.
On the other hand, take the Common Partridge with its sixteen or twenty
eggs, the high percentage of its dangers, and the generally abundant
supply of food.
Again, the Swift, on its untiring wings for sixteen hours a day,
avoids the majority of dangers which threaten less favoured birds,
and only lays two eggs, in a position very few other birds could
adopt, yet one which secures her little household the amount of safety
necessary for the due survival of the species. However, with her
limited family, dexterity on the wing, and enduring powers, she seems
to have no leisure time during the period her young require feeding.
As an opposite, take the House Sparrow, with its five or six eggs,
innumerable dangers, and easy access to food, and it must be confessed
these things are ordered by a power of infinite wisdom.
=Curious Nesting-Places.=--The general situation and locality in
which each bird's nest is likely to be found are mentioned in
dealing with the bird under its separate heading; however, it may
not be uninteresting to chronicle a few of the most remarkable and
well-authenticated departures from accepted rules.
I have myself found a Dipper's nest on the branch of a tree twelve or
thirteen feet from the water and twenty from the bank. This nest was of
ordinary shape and size, its material being of the same kind as others,
and securely fastened amongst the prongs of the branch like a Missel
Thrush's. When the parent bird was disturbed she dived into the pool
below to make her escape (a habit invariably adopted when nesting in an
ordinary position). She reared her young in safety, however, in spite
of the awkward situation she had selected, and I have every reason to
believe got them off without mishap. I have also found a Thrush's nest
on the ground, precisely in the position a Lark selects.
House Sparrows furnish many examples of curious situations adopted
for incubatory purposes. Not long ago a pair of these birds built
their nest, and successfully hatched a brood, in the cartridge-box
of a cannon which was fired twice daily in the Gun Park at Woolwich.
It is a notable fact that in some parts of the country Sparrows build
extensively in trees, whilst in others such a circumstance is unknown.
Some ornithologists are of opinion that it is an hereditary habit,
others supposing that it is resorted to for the sake of coolness in
hot weather; but a reason I incline to is that in parts of the country
where houses and out-buildings are made of stone the birds find ample
accommodation in joints, crevices, and crannies where the mortar has
been dislodged, and are therefore not driven to the necessity of
adopting trees, like birds found in districts where the houses are made
of bricks, consequently closer, and affording less opportunity for
nest-building. This bird, besides its noted pugnacity, is an arrant
rogue, and invariably takes advantage of the House Martin's labour.
I have known a house with twenty nests all close together under its
eaves, about half of which were occupied by Sparrows, which had, in
some cases where the nests were new, been actually watched ejecting the
eggs of the original owners.
The Robin is noted for its caprice in the selection of a nesting site,
and has been found hatching its eggs in nearly every conceivable
situation, from the ordinary mossy bank to the pocket of a gardener's
old coat which had been hanging undisturbed for several weeks in
a tool-house. Old kettles, water-cans, inverted plant pots, &c.,
in buildings close to machinery in daily motion, and other equally
curious places, are by no means rare occurrences. A case is recorded
of a Robin's nest having been built in the hole made by a cannon-ball
through the mizzen-mast against which Lord Nelson was standing when he
received his death-wound on board the _Victory_.
Swallows have also been known to adopt quite foreign situations for
breeding purposes, such as holes in trees, and even openly on the
branches.
Cases are known of the Starling building its nest down holes in the
earth, and also quite exposed in trees, similar to the nest of the
Sparrow. It has also been found going shares with a Magpie.
The Pied Wagtail occasionally chooses strange quarters, one case being
on record of a pair building beneath a railway switch, over which
trains passed nearly every hour in the day within a few inches of the
nest.
The roof of a house in Hull was once selected by two pairs of Rooks for
nidification, and proved a successful choice, for they managed to build
nests and rear their young.
The Common Wild Duck is also liable to depart widely from her usual
habit in the selection of a site for her nest, sometimes adopting
a Crow's nest, and even the tower of a church, which latter has
occasioned much speculation amongst naturalists as to how the parent
bird managed to convey her progeny safely to water.
The Fly-catcher is amongst the foremost of our eccentric birds in the
choice of breeding quarters, its nest having been found in street lamps
in different parts of the country, and in one instance on the head of
a hoe hanging against the wall of a tool-house. The nest was removed
whilst the hoe was being used, and, when replaced, the birds, instead
of deserting it, resumed operations, and eventually reared their brood.
Another very interesting curiosity of recent date occurred in the
neighbourhood of Skegness, where a pair of Marsh Titmice selected a
farmer's letter-box for incubation purposes, and although it was opened
twice daily, and the materials with which the birds began to build were
several times cleared away, they doggedly persisted in their efforts,
and eventually succeeded in making a nest and depositing the usual
number of eggs.
One of the strangest cases of all, and I should think the most
remarkable on well-authenticated record, recently occurred near
Colchester, where a pair of Common Wrens built their nest inside the
skeleton of a hooded crow, which had been brought to justice and hung
up as a warning to other winged depredators.
These odd positions and situations are evidently not chosen for
purposes of concealment from man, at any rate; indeed, it is a question
whether some of them are not adopted to secure the advantage his
presence affords against the incursions of predatory birds and animals.
And, on the other hand, if these seeming departures from instinct be
admitted as due to reason, it seems strange that whilst some birds
are capable of this, others exhibit what seems to human understanding
profound stupidity. I have known birds vainly try to build in positions
where it was impossible for a nest to rest, each piece of material
falling to the ground, until sufficient had been collected for a great
many nests; yet the bird kept on collecting sticks, moss, and grasses,
until probably she was obliged to drop her eggs in the fields. This is
not a solitary instance, nor only once attempted, for close observation
proved that the same inexplicably vain effort was continued from
year to year, but whether by the same birds or not it is of course
impossible to say.
Some birds show a remarkable love for the same situation, in which
they nest year after year for an incredible length of time. The same
place is known to have been used by falcons for about a century and a
quarter, and likely to continue if the birds are not molested. Blue
Titmice are known to have selected the same quarters over a hundred
years in unbroken succession.
=On Forming a Collection.=--My concluding remarks will be devoted to
the guidance of such as require to make a collection of eggs.
Keep close watch on the building operations of the birds whose eggs
are required. Dippers, Thrushes, and many others commence early in the
spring, especially after a mild winter.
Take only _one_ specimen, and not until you have reason to believe
the bird has done laying. Never under any circumstances take an egg
when you have ground to suppose incubation has commenced, or is in an
advanced stage, for besides the cruelty of the thing, it will often be
of no use.
The specimen being secured, it is taken for granted the collector is
furnished with the necessary drill and blow-pipe, procurable at any
naturalist's shop. The next proceeding is to drill a small hole exactly
on the side of the egg, selecting that of a spotted one with the least
characteristic marks on it. Then insert the end of the blow-pipe, or
rather direct the current of air sent through it into the hole made,
being careful with small eggs not to burst them, or squeeze them until
they collapse under the pressure of the fingers. When the contents have
been emptied wash the egg out with clean water, introduced through the
blow-pipe, being careful not to wet the outside more than necessary,
or rub it too much, as the beautiful colouring of many eggs is easily
displaced. When the egg has been blown, and properly dried inside and
out, an operation needing some care, the hole should be covered over
with a neat piece of gummed paper, on which the name of the specimen
may be written, this being found especially useful when eggs of
different kinds get mixed.
A small label should also be attached to the compartment allotted to
each egg in the cabinet, bearing the name, locality in which it was
found, and date, as such memoranda are often very useful, and inculcate
habits of systematic study and storage of information sometimes
impossible to remember. Besides this, a very good plan is to keep a
note-book in which to enter such particulars and data concerning each
specimen as may prove of utility or interest in the study of oology.
Of course it is impossible to obtain many specimens, which are seldom
or never found in certain districts, therefore it is necessary to
buy such eggs, or exchange through the medium of advertisement, with
collectors equally glad to avail themselves of such an arrangement.
I have no doubt about the pleasure a study of the subject affords,
and if my little book assists to heighten it in any way I shall be
satisfied.
R. KEARTON.
BIRDS' NESTS AND EGGS
THE GOLDFINCH.
This beautiful little bird builds a nest of the first rank in point of
constructive skill and neatness. Though it breeds at a surprisingly
rapid rate, it is a regrettable fact to learn that its numbers are
gradually becoming smaller in this country, and mainly through the
profit its capture affords. Despite being much harassed by the
bird-catching fraternity to supply the demand for it as a cage pet, if
not actually approving of confinement, it seems to prefer the close
proximity of man, often selecting as a nesting situation gardens and
orchards, and has even been known to build in rose-bushes and other
trees trained against a dwelling-house. The nest is composed of moss,
a little hay and wool, lined with seed-down of the willow and hair
neatly woven together. The eggs are four or five in number; white
tinged with blue, and spotted at the larger end with raw sienna.
THE MAGPIE.
The Magpie builds her nest on the tops of very tall trees, but it has
sometimes been found in comparatively small bushes. It is large, domed,
and almost spherical in shape, composed of brambles, thorny sticks,
clay, and finer sticks, and lined inside with dead grass and fibrous
roots; it has a hole on the side. She lays six or seven eggs of a dirty
light blue, spotted with yellowish-brown all over.
THE BULLFINCH.
This bird lays four or five eggs of a pale blue colour, spotted and
streaked with raw sienna, brown, or purple. The nest is made of twigs
and fibrous roots, and lined with horsehair; it is situated in thick
garden and other hedges. The female sits very close, so that she may
even be touched without leaving the nest.
THE STARLING.
The Starling makes her nest of hay, straw, and fibrous roots; her
favourite haunts are the gable-ends of old houses, cliffs, and hollow
trees. She lays four or five eggs of a beautiful light blue, tinged
with green. If she is left undisturbed, she will use the same nest
for several years, with a little repairing each spring. She is very
affectionate to her young, and works in hearty co-operation with her
mate to procure them food, which is an enormous quantity in the course
of a day.
THE CHAFFINCH.
The Chaffinch generally builds her nest in the forks of trees covered
with lichens; it is made of moss, wool, and lichen, the inside being
lined with hair and feathers. She makes a beautiful nest, small but
deep, and it harmonizes so much with its situation that it is often
difficult to find. She lays four or five eggs of a grayish-blue,
spotted and streaked with a dirty purple-red. She sits very close,
in fact I once knew a bird remain on her nest till a mischievous boy
caught her by the tail, pulling it out as she rose to fly; and she
returned and reared her young after that.
THE RAVEN.
The Raven lays five or six eggs of a gray-green ground colour, spotted
and blotched with a darker greenish or smoky brown. She builds her
nest in high, inaccessible rocks and cliffs, either on the sea-shore
or inland, and it is sometimes found on the tops of lofty trees. It is
composed of sticks of various sizes and kinds, wool, and hair.
THE LINNET.
This little bird lays from four to six eggs of a whitish faint blue
tinge, speckled with purple-red, and her nest is composed of moss,
bent fibrous roots, and wool, lined inside with hair and feathers. She
builds in whitethorn, blackthorn, and furze-bushes; very rarely in
trees.
THE ROOK.
The Rook lays four or five eggs of a pale green colour, spotted
and blotched with greenish or smoky brown. She makes her nest of
sticks, straw, hay, &c., and is rather particular about it, pulling
it to pieces and rebuilding it several times. Tall trees are usually
selected, generally near to some mansion or village, where the rooks
form a colony. This bird lays very early, and has been known to
commence sitting even in November.
THE COMMON WREN.
This little bird lays four to eight eggs of a yellowish-white tinge,
spotted at the larger end with a kind of brownish-red. It builds
several supplementary nests, which are simply made of moss and lichen;
this is attributed to the male bird by some naturalists; but however
this may be, as a rule two of these nests will be found to one of the
others lined with feathers, which is intended for incubation. The nest
is built in old barns, on the sides of cliffs, and in the roots of
trees growing from high banks; it is dome-shaped, and has a very small
entrance.
THE JAY.
The Jay lays five or six eggs of a pale greenish-blue, sometimes
yellowish-white, thickly spotted with minute brown spots, generally
confluent on the larger end, where there are several irregular black
lines. She builds her nest in the thickest parts of woods, where it
may be well out of sight. It is composed of sticks, small twigs, small
fibrous roots, and grass.
[Illustration: EGGS.
1. Jay. 2. Sparrow. 3. Jackdaw. 4. Grouse. 5. Kestrel.
6. Robin. 7. Redpoll. 8. Ringdove. 9. Wryneck.
]
THE HOUSE SPARROW.
This familiar little bird builds her nest in the walls of old stone
houses, at the back of spouting, and amongst ivy. It is particularly
fond of ejecting the Martin from her carefully-built home, and has been
even known to turn out the eggs of this little harmless bird. She lays
five or six eggs, of a dirty white, covered with black or dark brown
spots.
THE JACKDAW.
The Jackdaw builds her nest in towers of churches, the ruins of old
castles and abbeys, rocks, hollow trees, and chalk pits. It is made of
sticks, straw, and hay, with an inner lining of large feathers, hair,
and wool. The eggs, numbering from three to six, are a pale green-blue,
spotted with dingy brown; the spots are confluent at the larger or
thicker end.
THE COMMON GROUSE.
The Grouse lays on an average about nine eggs; as many as fifteen have
been found, but this number has been by some attributed to two birds,
as they will sometimes build (if we may term it such) within a yard of
each other. Their nests merely consist of a little hollow scratched
out, and lined with heather or bent. The eggs are of a dirty white
colour, covered with umber-brown spots. Both the old birds are very
cunning in trying to decoy the intruder away from the whereabouts of
the nest, feigning lameness or injury.
THE KESTREL.
The Kestrel lays four to seven eggs of a dirty white, sometimes with
a bluish tinge, thickly covered with reddish-brown blotches. She
generally makes no nest at all, but scratches a hollow in the soft
earth on a ledge of rock situated on high mountain or sea-cliffs. The
deserted nest of the crow is sometimes utilised.
THE ROBIN.
This beautiful little bird, the favourite of English children, builds
her nest in walls and banks, where roots and moss abound. It is
composed of moss, fibrous roots, and leaves, and is sometimes lined
with hair. She lays five or six eggs of a very light gray, spotted with
a dull light red; sometimes these spots are very few.
THE REDPOLL.
The eggs of this bird are four or five in number, of a very pale
blue-green colour, spotted about the larger end with orange-red. The
eggs retain much of their pretty colour after being blown, they are of
such a beautiful blue. She makes her nest of hay and moss, lined inside
with willow-down, and finishes it off in the most beautiful manner.
She builds her nest in willows, alders, and other bushes that fringe
streams and ponds in mountainous districts.
THE RINGDOVE.
The Ringdove makes a very loose, slovenly nest of twigs and sticks, and
it is sometimes so badly built that the eggs may be seen through the
bottom of the nest. She builds in fir, yew, or other trees, sometimes
in ivy that grows upon rocks and trees, very near the ground. She lays
two white eggs of a rounded oval shape.
[Illustration: EGGS.
1. Golden-crested Wren. 2. Whitethroat. 3. Siskin. 4. Thrush.
5. Greenfinch. 6. Redstart. 7. Great Tit. 8. Teal. 9. Blackbird.
]
THE WRYNECK.
The eggs of this bird are from five to eight in number, of a pure
white. She makes her nest in holes in the trunks of trees. It is made
of dry, rotten wood, which is ground down to a kind of powder, and it
has been found lined with moss and feathers.
THE GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN.
This little bird, like the others of its tribe, lays a considerable
number of eggs for its small size. They are eight or nine in number,
thickly spotted with reddish-brown, these spots being confluent at the
larger end. The underground colour is a faint fleshy tint. Her nest is
made of moss and lichens, and is lined with willow-down and feathers.
The outside of the nest generally harmonises with its situation, which
is amongst the branches of a tree, generally of the fir, from a branch
of which the nest is usually suspended.
THE WHITETHROAT.
The Whitethroat lays four or five eggs of a greenish-white colour,
spotted with brown and gray, the spots sometimes form a zone or belt
round the larger end. Her nest is made of dead grass and a little hair,
loosely attached, the nest being carelessly made. It is situated in low
thick herbage, or amongst nettles, or other ground weeds.
THE SISKIN.
This bird lays four or five eggs of a bluish ground colour, some
being spotted all over with cloudy rusty spots, others with these
spots well-defined about the larger end. Her nest is made of green
moss, small twigs, dried grass, and sometimes lined with feathers and
rabbits'-down. The nest is rarely found in Britain; its usual situation
is amongst furze-bushes.
THE THRUSH.
The Thrush builds her nest in hedges, banks, against the trunks of
trees, in stone walls, and is fond of ivy against trees or rocks. Her
nest is made of grass and moss, the interior being lined with clay or
cow-dung, in which are sometimes found pieces of decayed wood. She lays
from four to six eggs, of a beautiful blue spotted with black, most of
the spots being on the thick end of the egg.
THE GREENFINCH.
This bird lays four or five eggs, which are white tinged with blue,
and speckled at the larger end with light orange-brown. Her nest is
situated in thick hedges, ivy, holly, and other evergreens. It is
composed of moss and wool, and is lined with hair and feathers. The
nests of these birds have been found so close that the material of two
was interwoven together.
THE REDSTART.
The nest of this bird is made of moss lined with hair and feathers.
It is situated in holes in rocks, walls, trees, stables, and barns;
and the bird has been known to build in a plant pot with the bottom
upwards, entering through the hole. She lays from five to seven eggs,
of a pale bluish-green, unspotted.
[Illustration: EGGS.
1. Nuthatch. 2. Sea Gull. 3. Woodpecker. 4. Kingfisher 5. Moorhen.
6. Nightingale. 7. Lapwing. 8. Barn Owl. 9. Crossbill.
]
THE BLACKBIRD.
The Blackbird builds her nest in stone walls, holly bushes, hedges, and
amongst ivy. It is made with small twigs, roots, and cow-dung or clay
intermixed, and lined inside with very fine slender grass. She has been
known to try to build on the side of a cliff, where the sticks, &c.,
would not remain, but have fallen down until there was enough to make
half-a-dozen nests, yet the bird continued to bring fresh material. She
lays four, five, and rarely six eggs of a dull bluish-green, spotted
all over with brown blotches.
THE GREAT TIT.
The eggs of this bird are from six to twelve in number; their colour
is white, spotted with a reddish-brown. The nest is composed of moss,
feathers, and hair, and is situated in holes in walls and trees. The
bird has been known to make these holes herself in the trunk of a tree,
working with great diligence and rapidity until she had finished.
THE TEAL.
The Teal builds its nest where rushes are abundant, chiefly on marshes
in Scotland and the north of England. The nest is composed of large
quantities of dried sedges, flags, and other water plants, and is lined
with feathers. The bird lays eight or ten eggs, which are buffish or
creamy-white, sometimes faintly tinged with green.
THE NUTHATCH.
This bird lays from five to seven eggs in number, of a pure white
spotted with red-brown. They are very often mistaken for the eggs of
the Great Titmouse. The nest is made of the dried leaves of the oak,
apple, elm, &c., carelessly arranged. It is situated in a hole of a
decaying tree, and if too large at the entrance the bird plasters it up
until she can just get in and out comfortably.
THE COMMON SEA-GULL.
This bird lays two, and sometimes three eggs, of a pale green
or a yellowish-white colour, irregularly blotched with gray and
blackish-brown. Her nest is made of seaweed, dry grass, &c., and is
found on sea-cliffs and bold rocky headlands, such as St. Abb's Head in
Berwickshire.
THE GREEN WOODPECKER.
The eggs of this bird are three or four in number, of a very light
bluish-tinged white colour. Her nest is made entirely of the pieces of
wood chipped off by the bird in her boring operations. It is placed
in the trunk of a tree, frequently in a hole which the bird herself
has previously excavated, and perhaps used before. She seems to have a
particular liking for the aspen and black poplar tree.
THE KINGFISHER.
This bird lays six or seven eggs, nearly round, white and shining.
When fresh and unblown, the yolk shows through the shell, and gives it
a beautiful pink colour, something similar to the Dipper's, but more
clear and vivid. The nest is composed of the bones of fishes, and is
generally in the Sandmartin's previous excavations, about three or four
feet above the usual surface of the water.
THE MOORHEN.
The eggs of this familiar and semi-domestic bird are from eight to ten
in number, of a pale brownish-grey, spotted with umber-brown. This
bird, like the duck, when leaving the nest covers her eggs with flags
and reeds, of which also the nest is made. She builds among the sedges
on the banks of streams and ponds, and sometimes in trees. Nests have
often been found in willow-branches which touch and float upon the
water.
THE NIGHTINGALE.
The eggs of this bird are from four to six in number, and are usually
of a yellowish olive-brown colour, unspotted, but are occasionally
found blue. Her nest is made of dried leaves, lined inside with
fine grass. It is situated on the ground in woods and shrubberies,
especially on the little banks at the foot of trees, under the shelter
of ferns or weeds.
THE LAPWING.
The Lapwing, or Green Plover, makes a very simple nest, only scratching
a hole and lining it with bent or short grass. She generally makes it
on a little knoll, so that it may be out of danger of being deluged,
as her home is generally in swampy marshy land. She lays four eggs of
a dirty-green ground, blotched all over with dark brown spots, and the
colour harmonises so well with the ground, that it is sometimes very
difficult for the collector to see them even when looking close to
where they are.
THE BARN OWL.
The Barn Owl lays two eggs at a time, that is, lays two and hatches
them, and lays again, even to a second and third time, before the
first have flown. They are white and unspotted. She makes a very slight
nest of sticks, hay, and sometimes of her own cast-off feathers.
She selects barns, old ruins, hollow trees, and crevices of rocks,
overshadowed by ivy or creeping plants.
THE CROSS-BILL.
This bird lays four or five eggs of a white colour, tinged with pale
blue, resembling the colour of skim-milk, and speckled with red, but
only very sparingly. Her nest is made of twigs, grass, and sometimes
lined with a few long hairs. She builds mostly among the branches of
the Scotch fir, the nest being generally close to the boll or stem.
THE WOODLARK.
Unlike its congener, the Skylark, this bird is limited to certain
localities in our islands. Whilst it is fairly abundant in some
districts, it is seldom or never seen in others. It is highly esteemed
as a song-bird, and consequently suffers at the hands of professional
bird-catchers, especially as its young begin to carol at an early
period of their existence. Its nest is situated on the ground, usually
well concealed beneath a tuft of grass or low plant, and is composed
of grass, bents, moss, and hairs, the coarser material used on the
outside and the finer to line the interior. The eggs are four or five
in number, of a lighter ground colour than the Skylark's eggs, thickly
speckled with reddish-brown, the spots sometimes, but rarely, forming a
zone at the larger end.
[Illustration: EGGS.
1. Woodlark. 2. Nightjar. 3. Stormy Petrel. 4. Stone-chat.
5. Capercailzie. 6. Bittern. 7. Merlin. 8. Little Grebe.
9. Wheat-ear.
]
THE MERLIN.
Like some other of the Hawks, the Merlin does not take much trouble in
the construction of her nest, simply selecting a little hollow, usually
well hidden by heather, in moorland districts, lining it with dead
ling and a little grass. The eggs number from three to six, according
to some authorities; but I have usually found four on the North Riding
moors, brown in colour, thickly covered with spots, blotches, and
marblings of a reddish hue, especially at the larger end.
THE BITTERN.
The ground is chosen as the situation of this bird's nest, well hidden
amongst the dense growth of reeds and flags, in close proximity to the
water it haunts. It is composed of a plenteous supply of sticks, reeds,
flag-leaves, &c. The eggs are found in numbers of from three to five,
and have been described as of a pale clay-brown, stone colour, and
olive-brown, all of which are as near the mark as a verbal description
can come.
THE NIGHT-JAR.
This bird cannot really be said to make a nest of any kind, simply
selecting some natural depression in the earth, beneath the shelter
of a furze-bush or common bracken. She lays two eggs, which are grey,
beautifully spotted, and marbled or veined with dark brown and tints
of a bluish-lead colour, glossy. The female sits so closely, and
harmonises so well with her surroundings, that, unless one happens
to detect her beautiful large eye, the chances are very much against
finding her nest.
THE STORM PETREL.
The Scilly Islands, St. Kilda, the Orkneys, Shetland, and the Irish
coast, are the breeding haunts of the Storm Petrel. The nest is placed
on the ground, amongst cliffs and under large-sized stones, being
composed of pieces of dry earth and stalks of plants. One single white
egg, about the size of a Blackbird's, is laid.
THE STONE-CHAT.
This pert little bird is very dexterous in the art of nest-building,
selecting for materials moss and dry grasses to form the outer
structure, and feathers, hair, &c., for lining the interior. The
position selected is generally on the ground, at the bottom of a
furze-bush, though sometimes quite away from any bush. The eggs number
five or six, and are of a pale blue-green, with minute reddish-brown
spots, chiefly at the larger end.
THE WHEAT-EAR.