632 HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



by instinct how to make their domicile harmonize with the sur- 

 rounding objects. 



One very familiar instance may be found in the common Hare, 

 whose " form" is large enough to shelter the owner, and yet is so 

 inconspicuous that the animal often lies undiscovered, though a 

 human being has passed within a couple of paces of its home. 

 The Hare is never at a loss for a home, and will often hide itself 

 very effectually in a tuft of grass that seems scarcely large enough 

 to conceal a rat. But it is by no means insensible of the value 

 of a denser cover, and seems to have a peculiar affection for a 

 thick, though small clump of furze. 



Within a mile or two of my house there is a heath which is 

 partly studded with furze-bushes, and which is a very paradise 

 for various field animals. The field-mice have covered it with 

 their " runs," which are often so slightly below the surface that 

 if the finger be inserted in the entrance it can be pushed along 

 the whole length of the burrow, the only cover being a slight 

 layer of still living moss. As to the Hares, a " form" can be 

 found every few yards ; and if a little thick stubbly furze-bush 

 should be seen standing alone, it is nearly certain to be the home 

 of a Hare, which has made its warm soft couch within the mass 

 of needle-like prickles. 



The Tiger has a very similar habit, and takes advantage of a 

 certain drooping shrub, called the Korinda, which is of low growth, 

 making its lair underneath the boughs, which afford at once a 

 shelter from the sun and a concealment from enemies. 



We now pass to the Birds, the first of which is that remarkable 

 species called the Edible or Esculent Swallow {Collocalia ni- 

 dified). The popular name is given to it, not because itself is edi- 

 ble, but because its nest is eaten in some countries. 



We have all heard of birds'-nest soup, and some of us may pos- 

 sibly have imagined that the nests in question are made of the 

 ordinary vegetable substances, such as moss, leaves, and twigs. 

 In reality, the nests are formed of some gelatinous substance, 

 though its true nature is still uncertain, no one precisely knowing 

 whether it is of animal or vegetable origin. Some persons have 

 thought that the material is fish-spawn, which the bird fetches 

 from the sea; others have supposed it to be a kind of sea- weed, 

 which is dissolved in the bird's crop and then disgorged ; while 

 others believe that it is secreted by certain glands in the throat, 

 and proceeds entirely from the body of the architect. 



