40 Our Bird Friends. 



plaster up a hole in some hollow tree until no 

 bigger robber could squeeze in and out. 



The jolly, honest-looking little Brown Wren Avill, 

 upon occasion, give way to temptation and deliber- 

 ately steal quantities of nice soft moss from tbe 

 sides of some other bird's nest whilst its owner is 

 away in search of food. 



Some Rooks are arrant thieves, and I have sat 

 and watched them steal sticks from the nests of 

 more honest and industrious neighbours whilst these 

 were absent looking for additional materials. They 

 will even venture to abstract twio\s from the oreat 

 Heron's stately mansion of sticks, and it is quite 

 laughable to see them dash away when the enraged 

 owner suddenly turns up, bent on punishing the 

 rogue with a thrust from his long, spear-like bill, 

 which Avill easily transfix a rat. 



I once watched a very industrious old Gannet 

 from close quarters building her nest on the narrow 

 ledge of a dizzying ocean cliff, and directly the poor 

 bird turned her back to go in search of another 

 piece of seaweed, down flew a cunning member of 

 the same species from a ledge above, seized a piece 

 of the honest bird's materials, and hastened away 

 to her own ne^t with it. By-and-by, along came 

 the owner of the lower nest Avitli a great long riband 

 of seaweed which trailed in the air behind her like 

 the tail of a boy's kite. No sooner had she placed 

 it in position and departed for more, than down 

 swooped the robber, and, in extracting the choice 



