on the Silver-eared h/esia.



385



On the 26th they commenced building in a lime tree in the

centre. Last year’s long shoots had not been lopped, but had

been wound round and round, and interwoven hither and

thither, so as to form a head. From this head the shoots of the

year grew up straight and fairly thick, as from a pollard. Of

this first nest I cannot say much; externally it had the

appearance of a bulky solid deep nest of hay, grasses, and dead

Virginia creeper ends, firmly fixed amongst the young shoots

some seven feet above the general level of the garden. Both

birds assisted in the building, the first materials carried being

the creeper, dragged from the growing plants, much force being

used when necessary. For five days the little architects were

greatly disturbed and discouraged by a succession of terrific

thunder-storms, accompanied by tropical torrents of rain.

Nevertheless they persevered with remarkable tenacity, duly

finished their work, and commenced sitting on the 7th June.

At first the female did most of the work, and perhaps on wet

daj^s; but, as soon as they had settled down, the male

customarily sat during the day, the female at early dawn, late

evening, and during the night, the male roosting elsewhere.


The newspapers had a good deal to say of the rain that

fell in London at this time ; and for some sixty hours before the

young were due to be hatched it came down without cessation.

Before the sixty hours were up, twenty-five million tons of rain

were reported to have fallen in Inner London ; and the cold for

the time of the year was intense, June 19th being reported as the

coldest June day on record. In our August number, Mr.

Meade-Waldo’s interesting but most pathetic story tells our

Members how the wild birds suffered in this corner of England.

And yet these two Mesias stuck to their nest through it all.

How did they manage it! How could they have endured it? I

observed that during long spells of rain they relieved one another

on the nest at frequent intervals. On one occasion the female

came off so soaked and sodden it seemed impossible that she

could continue, but- she did, and I do not know that the trial,

although very severe, really injured their health ; but they were

well seasoned, and had been well taken care of and protected during

the winter vio?iths. Mr. Finn wrote me on August 20th :—“The



