HARD WICKK S SCIENCE- G OS SIP. 



PECULIARITIES IN SITE AND STRUC- 

 TURE OF BIRDS' NESTS. 

 A GOOD many years ago I contributed a short 

 paper to Science-Gossip,* bearing the above 

 title, the few instances therein cited being culled 

 from my natural history diaries ; and now, since 

 peculiarities in the form, size, and coloration of 

 birds' eggs are being freely adduced and discussed, 

 perhaps a few additional instances of those of site 

 and structure of their nests may not be out of place. 



Great titmouse, or oxeye [Pa}-ies major). — On 

 June loth, 1884, I discovered in St. John's 

 Cemetery, Elswick, a nest of this handsome bird, 

 containing callow young, which had been built 

 within one of the numerous fire-clay pipes used for 

 marking out sections of the burial ground. This 

 pipe is pentagonal in form, is open at the bottom, 

 and has a sloping top or roof upon which is impressed 

 a capital letter ; it has a depth of 16 inches at the 

 back, and 12 inches at the front, the roof sloping 

 from back to front ; and in the centre line of each 

 side, that joins the front at right angles, is a circular 

 hole 175 inch in diameter whose centre is 5 inches 

 distant from the open bottom, and in the front or 

 face is a similar hole whose centre is 8 inches from 

 the bottom : the front is 5 inches wide, and these 

 two sides are each 3 inches wide, whilst the 

 remaining two sides, which meet in an acute angle 

 at the back of the pipe, are 3-5 inches wide ; the 

 width, or diameter, from front to back being 6 

 inches. The pipe had been sunk into the grass-and- 

 herbage-covered ground until the lower edge of the 

 front and higher hole was level with the surface, 

 whilst the two lower lateral holes were of course 

 buried beneath it. The bulky nest, which consisted 

 of moss, cow and horse hair, sheep's wool and 

 rabbit down, was beneath the level of the lateral 

 holes, and was reached by the front hole which was 

 the sole point of ingress and egress. On several 

 occasions I sat near by and watched the parent birds 

 bringing abundant food for their young. They 

 frequently, though not invariably, first alighted in a 

 young elm-tree which overhung the home of their 

 progeny, flew thence to the top of the sunk pipe, and 

 thence to the hole of entrance, though not in- 

 frequently the female flew direct to the hole without 

 alighting elsewhere ; the moment the parent bird 

 had alighted on the roof of their home, the young 

 ones gave utterance to their expectant cries. The 

 food, wliich was assiduously catered for by both 

 the male and the female, consisted chiefly, if not 

 entirely, of caterpillars ; and on one occasion on 

 which I timed their visits, within ten minutes each 

 bird had brought food three times, notwithstanding 

 that they were aware of and startled by my 

 proximity, and thereby prevented from their normal 

 procedure. 



Vol. ix., p. 203. 



Common, or "Kitty" wren {Troglodytes pai-vu- 

 lus). — Who of us, as nest-hunting schoolboys even, 

 have not become acquainted with the more or less 

 unfinished, so-called "cock-nests" of this familiar 

 and favourite little bird, more than one of which 

 might sometimes be found built in the same hedge- 

 bank not far distant from the true, or breeding nest, 

 and at that time devoutly believed to have been 

 built by the cock bird for the purpose of roosting in 

 at night. The "cock-sit" (cock's-seat), too, which 

 we generally managed to make out in the bankside, 

 near by the nest of the "yowley," or yellow-hammer 

 {Emhcriza citrinella), was also considered to be the 

 roosting place of the male or cock bird, it being 

 taken for granted, I assume, that the hen bird alone 

 occupied the nest, and that the cock would not be 

 or ought not to be very far distant from his mate. 

 Possibly, however, it may be news to many readers of 

 Science-Gossip to learn that these cock-nests, 

 as well as the true nests, of the wren may occasion- 

 ally be obtained at the expense of another familiar 

 and favourite bird — the swallow ; three instances of 

 which have fallen under my observation, all in one 

 season, and at no great distance apart. The first 

 instance was on June 9th, 18S5, when I had my 

 attention drawn to the circumstance of a wren 

 carrying up materials to a swallow's nest built in the 

 roof of a high wooden hayshed or stack-cover ; and, 

 on watching a while, I observed the wren carry up a 

 billful of dry grass, enter the nest, deposit its cargo, 

 and then depart, softly singing part of the time : 

 hence, I concluded that it was the male bird who 

 was thus spending a part of his superfluous energy on. 

 the construction of a cock-nest, whilst his partner 

 was engaged in the arduous task of incubation 

 somewhere near ; for the wren had here been for 

 some time past in full and vigorous song, occasion- 

 ally, too, singing on the wing as he passed from one 

 elevated perch to another. On a cursory examina- 

 tion of the nest of the sv/allow, it was found to be 

 quite new — of the present season — to be complete in 

 the shell and apparently ready for its lining of soft 

 materials ; and that the birds had not yet forsaken it, 

 but flew into and around the shed, notwithstanding 

 that the wren was engaged in building a top or dome 

 of dry grass and moss to it. Not until July i8th, 

 however, when the hay was being stacked under this 

 shed, and the usurped nest could be reached from 

 the top of the stack, was it disturbed ; though for 

 some time past it had obviously been forsaken by the 

 rightful owners, the swallows, and was as obviously 

 not being used as a breeding-nest by the usurping 

 wren. On being taken down from its site, it was 

 found to be a large fine and evidently completed 

 shell, ready for its lining of dry grass or hay and 

 feathers, etc. ; and that the superimposed nest of 

 the wren was of the usual domed character, and 

 composed of fine dry grass outwardly, and moss with 

 a little sheep's wool and a few feathers inwardly, 



