HOMES OVER THE WATER 



NESTS COMPOSED OF LICHENS 



In Great Britain, as we have already seen, the Crossbills 

 use a variety of materials in the construction of their nests. 

 In Sweden, however, they often build them almost entirely 

 of lichens ; and on one occasion I discovered such a nest in 

 the north of Scotland, in a large fir wood, where the trees 

 are hoary with tufts and tresses of this kind of vegetation. 1 



NESTS BUILT OF MARSH PLANTS, RUSHES, &c. 



Most of the birds that are found living in marshy places 

 build their nests amongst the rushes which grow about the 

 water's edge. But this situation is not without its dis- 

 advantages, for animals of all sorts are in the habit of 

 coming to the sides of streams and ponds, which form an 

 attractive hunting-ground for many of them, not excepting 

 man himself ; so that if every species of water bird were to 

 nest there, not a few of them would run considerable risk of 

 being disturbed, and perhaps destroyed. So some kinds very 

 wisely build over the surface of the water, where they are in 

 less danger of being interfered with. 



Now and then we find a bird taking advantage of a little 

 hummock of earth that stands above the level of the water, 

 or a deserted shelter that has been used for wild-duck shoot- 

 ing, or a drifted heap of weeds and rushes, or even a piece of 

 stranded timber ; but as a rule such things are not available, 

 and the most natural expedient is for the bird to support its 

 nest on the reeds and rushes growing out of the water. 

 This is what the Sedge Warblers do; on the other hand, 

 Coots and Moorhens, which are much heavier birds, some- 

 times construct a sort of half-floating stage which they 

 anchor amongst the rushes or other water plants. The 

 Black Tern, too, does exactly the same thing. 



1 J. L. 

 78 



