108 Baby Birds at Home 



wall, amongst ivy, in a cleft of rock, or under an 

 overhanging tuft of grass growing on a ledge. 



The eggs number from four to six, and are 

 greyish white, thickly speckled with brownish 

 grey markings. 



Baby Wagtails, like the chicks of many 

 other species, learn wisdom very quickly. 

 You may visit them in the nest every day, 

 and up to a certain period they will eagerly 

 lift their heads and open their mouths in re- 

 quest of food. But one morning when you go 

 to see them a great change has taken place in 

 their behaviour, for, instead of lifting their 

 heads, they all crouch low in the nest and 

 keep quite still. " Ah," you say, " they have 

 got their eyes open and can see that I am a 

 human being and not a bird." 



No, that is not it. Young birds frequently 

 appear to welcome a human visitor to the 

 nest when their eyes are quite wide open, but 

 there comes a time when they suddenly realise 

 danger, and they entirely alter their attitude 

 towards you. 



Young " Dish- Washers/' as these birds 

 are frequently called, may often be observed 

 trying to wag their wee short tails, even 

 before they have left the nest. 



