52 IN A CHESHIRE GARDEN 



at all shy, and I watched it about the house 

 for an hour or so. 



It is said in " The Fauna of Cheshire " 

 that while birds are sometimes seen during 

 the spring migration, there is no other record 

 of a pied flycatcher in Cheshire on the return 

 journey in autumn. 



Of swallows there is no lack. Nearly 

 every year there are one or two nests in the 

 outbuildings, and in 1900 a pair began to 

 build against the wall of the house-porch just 

 over the front door. The wall was perfectly 

 flat, and they began to fasten mud against 

 it as a house-martin would have done. To 

 save possible untoward consequences to the 

 hats of visitors I rigged up a shelf over the 

 door; this, perhaps, frightened them, at any 

 rate, they did not go on with their work. 



In 1908 a pair set their minds on building 

 in the old church, and build they did in spite 

 of all we could do in the way of keeping 

 doors and windows shut (they must have 

 found their way through some broken quarry 

 of a window). However, when we saw that 

 we were beaten we made the best of it, and 

 really there was very little mess, and it was 

 pleasant to hear them warbling in the roof. 

 When the young birds were hatched in July 

 the old ones were more wary than ever. If 

 they saw anyone in the church, instead of 

 going on to the nest, they would turn back 

 and fly away with their mouthful of dainties. 



