602 Birds and Birdnesting. 



" ducks and drakes." The nest contained seven eggs warm as a 

 toast. The situation was a very odd one for a moorhen's 

 nest ; but there was a reason for it : the rising of the water in 

 the pond frequently flooded the banks of the island, and, as I 

 had before witnessed, had destroyed several broods by immer- 

 sion. [See p. 381.] 



Nest of the Large black-headed Titmouse^ in a Magpie's Nest 

 of the preceding Year, — The next object of attention was a 

 titmouse, of the large black-headed kind, swinging himself 

 about like a ropedancer, and whistling out his sing-song just 

 like a fellow sharpening a saw. To my surprise, the gentleman 

 entered an old magpie's nest, to which I had paid frequent 

 friendly visits during the previous spring; he immediately 

 came out again, and jumped about, sharpening his saw as 

 before. One might almost as well handle a hedgehog as a 

 magpie's nest : in this instance some cuttings of gooseberry 

 bushes, skilfully interwoven into an arch above it, rendered it 

 rather more untempting than usual. I was meditating how 

 to commence the attack, when another tomtit flew out in great 

 choler, and rated at me, as though I had already robbed her : 

 after a good deal of trouble, during which the slender fir top 

 was swinging about with me in the breeze, I succeeded in 

 obtaining a peep into the nest : there was nest within nest ; 

 the cosiest, softest, warmest, little nest, with eight delicately 

 specked eggs at the bottom of the magpie's more spacious 

 habitation. I declined meddling with them, whether on 

 account of the awkwardness of my situation, or the interven- 

 ing gooseberry bushes, or the cruelty, I will not say. 



Nest of the DabchicJc, — I have occasionally, though but 

 seldom, found the dabchick's nest in the reeds on the banks of 

 this island. Bewick's account of its size is not correct : it is 

 Jarge for the bird, but of very inconsiderable thickness, and 

 always wet, so that the eggs are for ever in a sort of puddle. 

 The eggs in those I saw were three only, dirty white, and 

 about as big as a blackbird's, but longer. I never found any 

 covering on the eggs, or observed any thing near that would 

 answer the purpose ; but this habit may exist in some in- 

 stances : so many naturalists have spoken of it, that it can 

 hardly be fabulous, like the same peculiarity as applied to 

 rooks and crows. On the subject of these, if it wanted con- 

 tradicting, I could, from personal inspection, hundreds of times 

 repeated, give it a flat denial. 



Habits of the Fern Owl. — Beyond Godalmirig, on the 

 Liphook road, is a great tract of barren heathy land : it 

 stretches wide in every direction, and includes immense peat- 

 bogs, and several large ponds. One particular district, called 



