THE REDBREAST. 235 



Amongst Robin Redbreasts, many instances of strange 

 selection have come to our knowledge, quite as singular as 

 those hitherto mentioned. Thus, we know of one which 

 attempted to build in the library of a gentleman's house, at 

 least, so it was suspected, from a few suspicious materials, 

 such as dried leaves, &c., having been occasionally found 

 amongst the shelves, without any person being able to 

 ascertain from whence they came. Probably disappointed by 

 perceiving that they were swept away as soon as deposited, 

 the domestic bird resolved to try another equally sheltered 

 situation, and, accordingly, selected the dining-room, which, 

 as the family never entered it till luncheon-time, she had all 

 to herself from the moment the housemaid had done her 

 duty in the morning and retired, leaving, as she was accus- 

 tomed to do, the window open. How long the bird had 

 carried on her operations unnoticed, we know not ; but a 

 servant accidentally moving the drapery of one of the window- 

 curtains, discovered in the folds of a festoon the Robin's 

 nest. 



In this instance the- bird availed itself of a situation in 

 which, during the greater portion of the day, she was in 

 solitude and silence ; but solitude and silence do not seem 

 essential to all Robin Redbreasts, for we lately heard of a 

 pair which took possession of a pigeon-hole book-shelf in a 

 school, which was constantly frequented by seventy children. 

 The hole selected was at the farthest extremity of the room, 

 immediately above the heads of a junior class of little girls 

 from four to five years of age, who, much to their credit, 

 never disturbed the bird. There she laid and hatched five 

 eggs. One of the young ones died in a few days, and the 

 body was carried off by the parent-birds. The remaining 

 four were regularly fed in the presence of the children, and 

 in due time reared. Soon after their departure the old bird 

 repaired the nest, and laid three more eggs, which she 

 attended to with the same perseverance and success. We 

 have often alluded to the frequent return of birds to the 

 same nests, and perhaps the most singular feature in this 

 . anecdote is, that about twelve years ago a Robin built in 



