44 Our Bird Friends. 



An Osprey in the Highlands of Scotland repaired 

 its old eyrie spring after spring for so long that it 

 eventually reached a heiolit of nine feet, when it 

 was blown down by a gale of wind. 



I mentioned in the opening pages of this chapter 

 the case of a Great Tit building its nest in an old 

 structure belonging to some other bird in a hedge- 

 row, instead of following the general rule of the 

 species and placing it in a hole. I will now relate 

 a few other interesting departures irom usual habits 

 on the part of birds belonging to widely different 

 species. Blackbirds and Thrushes generally place 

 their nests in evergreens, bushes, hedgerows, amidst 

 ivy growing round the trunks of trees and against 

 walls, and in similar situations ; but specimens are 

 sometimes found right down upon the ground, where 

 one might expect to meet with those of pheasants 

 and partridges. On the other hand, instead of the 

 two latter species sticking to their usual habit of 

 breeding on the ground, where their young ones 

 will want to commence running about directly they 

 are hatched, they are occasionally discovered in 

 such elevated situations as deserted squirrels' dreys 

 in trees and on the tops of ricks. Wild Ducks 

 have been found breeding in old Carrion Crows' 

 nests in high trees. Rock Pigeons build on ledges 

 in ocean caves, but occasionally both Rock Pigeons 

 and Jackdaws condescend to occupy a humble 

 rabbit's burrow. The Dipper fixes its nest in 

 some fissure of rock or some hole in a stone bridgfe 



