At Home with Wild Nature 



what taken aback on one occasion by what appeared to 

 be a case of the most colossal stupidity on the part of a 

 pair of robins. I was shown a nest containing young 

 ones inside an old nose-bag hanging up in a stable. 

 Rats had gnawed a hole through the bag near the 

 bottom, and the birds had entered and built a nest. 

 As the interior of the stable was far too dark for photo- 

 graphy I took the nose-bag and some pieces of harness 

 underneath which it was suspended and hung them all 

 up outside the building and close by the doorway 

 through which the birds entered and left. The robins 

 flew in and out of the stable dozens of times, and 

 although they passed and repassed the old nose-bag 

 they apparently could not see it, which is surprising 

 when one considers the distance at which they can 

 detect a small worm or caterpillar. They never found 

 the bag, and at last out of pity I replaced it, when the 

 chicks were promptly fed. 



Some years ago, with a view to finding out some- 

 thing of the ease or otherwise of the parasitic path of the 

 cuckoo, I had four wooden eggs made and painted to 

 look like those of the song thrush, and by substituting 

 them for real eggs readily deceived thrushes, blackbirds, 

 starlings, grasshopper warblers and other small birds. 

 Indeed, a starling with chicks three or four days old in 

 the nest accepted and brooded them without the least 

 hesitation in place of her family of very lively young 

 ones. Her nest, in a hole that ran right through the 

 wall of an old stone barn, was placed in a highly favour- 

 able situation for purposes of observation, because I 



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