BIRDS AT NIGHT 191 



foot into their feathers to keep it warm ; no 

 doubt during the night they " change legs " 

 every now and then, so as to keep the toes 

 warm on both feet. 



People often talk as if birds used their nests 

 as bed-rooms, and it certainly seems a reason- 

 able thing to do, but really very few of them 

 do sleep in their nests ; no doubt the idea 

 has got about because most of those that 

 do so are house-birds, like our tame pigeons, 

 which roost in the cote, and house-martins 

 and swifts, which roost in their nests and 

 holes ; sparrows also, in winter at any rate, 

 and wrens, too, will roost in nests. 



Water-birds very often sleep on the water, 

 especially the diving sorts, and those that 

 live very far out at sea can hardly do any- 

 thing else ; but, generally speaking, they like 

 to come ashore to sleep if they can do so 

 conveniently, for then they know where they 

 are, while if they go to sleep on the water, 

 except on the wide ocean, they may easily be 

 drifted ashore in their sleep by the wind or 

 current, and fall a prey to their enemies. 

 Long ago it was said that water-fowl could 

 not roost on trees because of their clumsy 



