

THE STRANGE EGG IN THE NEST. 131 



ture to the city, and carry on his fly-catching 

 business close to the houses and gardens. 



The smallest of the Fly-catchers is not much 

 bigger than the Humming-Bird ; and it is one 

 of the nurses chosen by a bird called the Cow- 

 Bunting to bring up her offspring. 



The Cow-Bunting has very much the habits 

 of the Cuckoo. For some reason or other, which 

 no one can yet understand, she does not make a 

 nest, or hatch her eggs. But she fixes on a few 

 of her neighbours', and goes from nest to nest, 

 dropping an egg in each. The movements of the 

 Cow-Bunting have been closely watched by the 

 naturalist. He has seen her flit from bush to 

 bush, and copse to copse, seeking the nests suit- 

 able for her purpose. 



You would not suppose the nest of the little 

 Fly-catcher would be strong enough to hold the 

 egg. The materials are of the most fragile kind 

 a few old leaf-stalks, a withered blossom or two, 

 and the stem of a fern, covered over with dry 

 lichen, and lined with horse-hair. This is all. 



The nest itself is placed on the branch of a 



