62 STRA Y FEA THERS FROM MANY BIRDS. 



giant, show here and there above the velvety turf, and 

 lichens and mosses cluster in the crevices of the bark, 

 and garnish the smaller branches. This forest monarch 

 is full of holes and cracks and out-of-the-way corners, 

 which are the quiet refuge of many living creatures ; 

 birds and beasts and insects which have made the 

 brave old tree their headquarters. We cannot hope to 

 find them all, nevertheless our scrutiny will be full of 

 interest. The few straws blowing about in the wind at 

 the entrance to a knot-hole in one of the larger branches 

 proclaim a Starling's nest. Starlings are untidy birds, 

 and often betray their homes by their carelessness. 

 The cock bird is whistling on the top of the tree, 

 his notes sounding like the noise made by a rusty 

 axle. Stowed away in the very centre of the hollow 

 trunk is a Jackdaw's nest, a huge pile of sticks which 

 have been dropped into the yawning cavity by the 

 persevering birds until a foundation was formed for the 

 wool, moss, and grass on which their spotted eggs are 

 laid. The Barn Owl also has apartments here ; he is at 

 home sure enough, for he never makes any professional 

 visits until dusk. As is the case in all hotels, there are 

 many chance visitors which call during the day and 

 night in addition to the regular habitues. As I write a 

 Creeper is wandering up the trunk in a very fly-like 

 manner, winding round and round, pausing here and 

 stopping there to pick out an insect or a grub from the 



