298 OUT OF DOORS. 



the stone is in its place the starling gets to her nest 

 through the channel left by the missing corner ; but as 

 the entire stone is moveable it can be pulled out at 

 will, and thereby exposes the whole interior. The 

 starlings are now so tame that they have no objection 

 to being watched, and even after the stone is removed 

 the bird sits calmly serene on her eggs, following the 

 intruder with a fearless gaze. 



Even the jackdaw builds in a hole within five feet 

 of the ground, and close to the path which forms the 

 back entrance to the house. The servants generally 

 peep at the jackdaw's nest as they pass to and fro on 

 their avocations, but the bird cares nothing for them, and 

 treats them with supreme unconcern. Owls, again, were 

 desired near the house, and a chamber was prepared for 

 them in the gateway tower already mentioned. The 

 apartment was hardly completed when a pair of barn 

 owls took possession of it, and the spot has ever since 

 been tenanted by these birds. Similarly, the brown 

 owl was attracted by a large hole cut in a decaying tree, 

 and by means of these semi-domestic guests, many 

 disputed points in their habits have been cleared up, 

 and their characters freed from the reproaches to which 

 they had been subjected by all previous writers on 

 natural history. 



Herons, again, as has already been mentioned, took 

 up their abode as soon as the park wall was completed, 

 exhibiting thereby a marvellous instinct, which made 

 the birds who build on the tops of the loftiest trees to 



