CHAPTER VI 



THE NESTING OF BIRDS 



The Orders and Families of Birds, with their mode of nesting- 

 General remarks thereon— Guillemots and their eggs. 



The Common Cuckoo (Cncutus canoms). 



THE building of nests is almost entirely confined to the 

 members of the Class Aves, but is not so exclusively, as 

 many other animals construct nests, such as the Stickle- 

 back amongst Fish, the Harvest Mouse amongst the Mam- 

 mals, while resting-places or nests, as they are called, are 

 not unknown among the higher Apes, such as the Orangs 

 and Chimpanzees. Further instances could of course be 

 adduced, but in the construction of nests birds stand un- 

 rivalled for skill. It may be useful to pass rapidly in 

 review the Orders and Families of existing Birds, and to 

 note the peculiarity of their nesting habits, as follows — 



SUB-CLASS RATIT^. 

 Nest on the ground, a shallow pit. Incubation performed by 

 the male bird only. 



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