NUMBER V 

 THE NATURAL HISTORY OF NESTS 



NEST-MAKING is so characteristic of birds 

 that we always think of " bird " and " nest " 

 together. But birds are by no means the only 

 creatures that build nests. The squirrel makes a 

 big nest of moss, leaves, and grass at a fork between 

 two branches of a tree or in a hollow of the stem. 

 The father stickleback glues together the filaments 

 of seaweed and makes a serviceable nest, in which 

 his mate lays the eggs. Many spiders make true 

 nests of silk, while others bind leaves together with 

 silken threads. The wasp's familiar construction 

 is a house as well as a nest. There are many other 

 nest-makers, but it is among birds that nest-making 

 reaches its greatest perfection, variety and beauty. 



Uses of Nests 



The uses of nests are manifold. First, they 

 often secure the safety of the eggs and young birds 

 by being inconspicuous or by being inaccessible. 

 The period of development and of helplessness lasts 

 about a fortnight in many finches, three weeks in 

 the fowl, over a month in petrels, towards six weeks 



33 c 



