Protecihig Nests and Sitting Birds, 21 



in perfect safety, and even a fox dreads to make 

 a dash at her, for he, too, may have had a taste 

 of the barbs in his pelt. The author was once 

 shooting upon an estate in Scotland, a large area 

 of which was divided into inclosures by means of 

 barbed wire strained on posts five inches square. 

 At the bottom a couple of strands had been nailed 

 on each side of the posts, one six inches above 

 the ground and the other at a height of a foot ; 

 between these nettles and other rough herbage 

 grew, and therein the partridges nested in peace 

 and safety from disturbance by cattle, and in 

 nearly every instance from interference by foxes. 

 Tar applied to the wire about nesting time would 

 probably have additional good effect. This is an 

 excellent plan of providing nesting accommo- 

 dation in a district Avhich would otherwise be 

 almost devoid of it. 



In a stonewall country nests escape destruction 

 which would certainly be found by foxes if hedges 

 were in the place of the walls. Reynard nearly 

 always passes along a wall on one favourite side, 

 and a nest on the other escapes detection by him ; 

 but when he traverses a hedge there is nothing to 

 prevent the scent of it reaching his nostrils. A 

 fox is also very fond of running along the top 

 of a low wall, and if this is his habit there is no 



