196



Mr. P. F. M. Galloway,



birds come every few minutes with building material; they took no

notice of me. I had a splendid view of them at work. (See photo,

facing p. 175, April number.)


These little architects brought small pieces of sheep’s wool

and fine moss, at other times they brought the empty hags that had

at some time contained spider’s eggs.


The birds hop into the bottom of the nest, place the material

in the bottom and fix it there ; then they pull it up from this point

and weave it over the edge, the bird stretching its neck well over

the outside of the nest; this they continue to do until it is built up

to the entrance hole at the top. A great number of small pieces of

lichen are brought and fixed on the outside, and when the structure

is completed the whole of the outside is covered with it.


The lining is composed of small feathers of various kinds—

Fowls, Ducks, Pheasants, etc. Such a great quantity are used, that

if a nest has been torn out and the feathers strewn about any one

who did not know it was a nest would think that someone had been

busy plucking a fowl.


The eggs number as many as ten, but more often I find the

nests contain eight.


The young as a rule are ready to fly by the third week in May.


They are fed upon small green and other hairless caterpillars

principally, but occasionally the parent birds will bring them spiders

and small winged insects.


On two or three occasions I have seen four adults visit the

same nest at one time with food for the young, and I feel sure that

the nest, only containing eight young, belonged to one pair ; the

others might have been unmated, probably two cocks or two hens,

and hearing the call of the others joined them. I have never seen

any other species do this.


Another curious thing sometimes occurs with the hen bird

whilst incubating ; the long straight tail becomes bent. I have seen

them when off the nest, with their tails bent, forming quite a half

circle, which looks very odd when the bird is flying.


They are very hardy birds, although small, and can stand the

cold well, being extremely active; but the slaughter of this species

this winter has been very great; in fact, never in my life have I seen



