CURIOSITIES OF WILD LIFE. 67 



immemorial a solitary pair has bred every year 

 on the stone depicted in our illustration on the 

 opposite page, situated in the middle of a small 

 Hebridean fresh-water loch. 



It is by no means an uncommon occurrence 

 for two birds belonging to widely different species 

 to make use of the same nest with alterations 

 and improvements during a single season. Last 

 May a blackbird built and used a nest in a young 

 oak tree near my home, and in July a turtle-dove 

 added a storey, and occupied it. 



This utilitarian record is, however, easily 

 beaten by the experience of a Birmingham orni- 

 thological friend, upon whose accuracy of observa- 

 tion and veracity I can place complete reliance. 

 A magpie built her nest, and a kestrel hawk took 

 possession, and laid a clutch of eggs in it. She, in 

 her turn, was, however, robbed by a collector, 

 and the structure was afterwards successively and 

 successfully utilised by a tree sparrow and a great 

 tit for the propagation of their kind. 



Open avian robbery of an unsuspected char- 

 acter occasionally takes place. 



A blackbird has been known to annex the 

 home of a song thrush and line it with fine grass 

 whilst it was occupied by eggs, which she re- 

 spected to the extent of not covering over. 



At the Fame Islands a year or two ago an 

 eider duck and a lesser black-backed gull nested 



