Hedgerow Life 
unless it is already there provided by 
accident. 
Perhaps you may not know that any 
birds do nest in holes underground, but 
quite a number of them do so. A re- 
treat underneath the ground, and so 
completely out of sight, forms a very safe 
place when a bird is sitting on its eggs, 
and thereby more exposed to danger ; 
and it is especially taken advantage of 
by birds which have very brilliant or 
very conspicuous plumage—puffins, for 
instance, sheldrakes, kingfishers. But 
the consequence is, that when by chance 
an enemy does invade their burrow, they 
are caught in a trap, and are unable to 
escape; as when a snake or lizard enters 
a bee-eater’s burrow, and_ swallows 
whole the poor bird and its eggs. 
Besides the generally more or less 
