192 



Wild Birds 



spider. When the nest or anything in it was touched they would 

 swarm up the hand by hundreds, but they are barely visible 

 to the eye, and apart from a slight tickling sensation between the 



Brown Thrush cleaning the nest. 



fingers are scarcely felt. They do not seem to trouble the old 

 birds much, but must give discomfort to the young, especially 

 if from any other cause they happen to be weakly. 



The cleaning of the young and nest is instinctive in a very 

 large number of birds, and so also is the care with which they 



