THE BIRD AND THE TREE 



CHAPTER XII 



Tree-lovers. Unusual Perchers. Swallows and 



Pigeons in Relation to Trees. Evolution of Perching 



Habit. Partridges and Snipe Perching. 



Trees would appear to be the natural habitation 

 of birds, and it is interesting to note how few 

 species, even of those not recognised as perching 

 races, refuse altogether to avail themselves of the 

 shelter and security of wide-spreading branches. 

 All the smaller birds — warblers, finches, tits, 

 buntings, not to name the crows and most birds- 

 of-prey — rest on boughs and in the vast majority 

 of cases use the tree as a rearing place for their 

 young. 



The skylark may be cited as a species which 

 divides its time between heaven and earth, and 

 leaves the tree out of account altogether. But 

 this, though largely true, is not altogether so. 

 Taking the tree in a wide sense, to include shrub, 

 bush, and hedge, we have many instances of the 

 skylark using this form of lodgment. It is no 

 uncommon thing to hear a lark singing on the top 

 of a closely-cut hedge, although we are not aware 

 of any well-authenticated record of this bird 

 deliberately alighting and remaining perched upon 

 a single bough. Of the pipits, the tree-pipit 

 alone habitually frequents the branches, but the 

 meadow-pipit, and even the rock-pipit, will use 

 the tree on occasions, more or less rare. In the 



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