46 THE LIFE OF A BIRD. 



eggs shaken from it by the gales of spring ; but 

 the poor martin, which places its earthy nest 

 beneath the eaves of our houses, is more generally- 

 injured. In July and August the young are 

 generally brought out ; but one rainy day at this 

 period is often attended with fatal consequences to 

 the whole family; the mud, imbibing moisture 

 from the air, becomes softened to such a degree, 

 that the cement falls, and the nest, haying now to 

 support the weight of the young birds, is no 

 longer capable of doing so. Ruin is impending, 

 and the parent birds appear even to be aware of 

 it, for they may be seen hovering with great 

 anxiety about their nests. Suddenly the whole 

 earthen fabric gives way, and all the unfledged 

 young ones are dashed, amid its wreck, to the 

 ground, and killed under the very eyes of their 

 unfortunate parents. 



In his magnificent work on the Australian birds, 

 Mr. Gould makes mention of a very singular nest 

 of mud observed by him. The name of its con- 

 structor is the Pied Grallina. This curious nest is 

 from five to six inches in breadth, and about three 

 in depth. It is composed of soft mud. It is 

 moulded almost as skilfully as if it had left the 



