94 MIGRATION AND FLIGHT. 



apartment, and took a survey of the premises. Having 

 satisfied himself, he went off, but soon returned with a 

 companion, which at first appeared very shy and timid, 

 but in a short time acquired as much assurance as its 

 mate. They both forthwith set about building a new 

 nest on a small ledge, which had been prepared for 

 them, as near as possible to the place where that on the 

 clothes screen had been built, and which had been des- 

 troyed; as, while it remained, the screen was of course 

 useless to the family. 



In this nest three broods were reared as before, not- 

 withstanding the almost constant presence of the porter 

 and his wife, who lived and slept in the room. In the 

 spring of the third year, the male again made his appear- 

 ance with another mate, evidently much younger than 

 its predecessor. The old nest on the ledge was exa- 

 mined, but for some reason the birds were not satisfied 

 with its situation, and as the clothes-screen was hanging 

 in the same situation it had occupied the first year, after 

 a couple of days' hesitation, they constructed a new nest 

 on the favourite screen, and the business of hatching 

 and rearing the young ones went regularly on. The 

 male bird, indeed, seemed to have acquired increased 

 confidence, never manifesting alarm at the number of 

 visitors which so curious a circumstance attracted to the 

 lodge; whereas the female continued very shy, and was 

 on the alert, and ready to take wing when anybody 

 approached too near. It was remarked in this, as in 

 the preceding case, that no young birds, from the mo- 

 ment of their taking wing, ever returned to the house, 

 either for the purpose of forming nests of their own in 

 so safe and comfortable an asylum, or disputing posses- 

 sion with the old ones for the tenement in which they 

 were born and bred. But, besides these regular migra- 

 tory birds, others seem to possess a similar instinctive 

 power; for instance, a Robin which frequented a green- 

 house was caught, and a piece of silk being tied round 

 its leg, it was put into a bag, and carried to a distance 



