FASTIDIOUS NESTING HABITS OF A FEW BIRDS. 115 
scratching out all the other’s material. This is true 
of some others. Other birds, however, steal or ap- 
propriate each other’s material, and are even so 
sloven as to take the old material out of a last year’s 
nest. Others again appropriate the abandoned nests 
which have already been used that season, and refit 
them to rear their own second brood in. 
Eagles, owls, and others of that sort repair slightly 
from year to year the same nest. Owls also are great 
users of abandoned hawks’ nests. Of course it is well 
known that the ospreys, if not disturbed, will continue 
indefinitely to heap rubbish upon their nests until 
their bulk is very great. 
The saying, therefore, “‘ Useless as a last year’s 
birds’ nest” is meaningless from the standpoint of 
some birds. 
