AMONG THE BIRDS IN SPRING. n 



begin to sing ; flocks of birds separate ; a Robin's 

 nest in all its rustic beauty calls for our admira- 

 tion ; the Rooks begin to build, after much noisy 

 deliberation, in the tops of the tall elm trees ; and 

 we often wonder how they can carry such opera- 

 tions on at all, so ceaselessly do the long branches 

 sway and bend to and fro in the high March 

 winds. In the first few days of spring those 

 birds that build early are busy ; and love, courtship, 

 and marriage are their ruling impulses. Among 

 many birds "house-hunting" is the order of the 

 day. We see the comical little Blue-tits ex- 

 ploring every knot-hole and cranny, and delibera- 

 ting and discussing the conveniences of each 

 before finally choosing one for their nest. Others, 

 more fortunate, return to the old familiar nest- 

 hole, and jealously guard it from the intrusion 

 of wandering strangers. Robins, Wrens, and 

 Thrushes are all on the look-out for suitable 

 nesting sites, and when once the great question is 

 settled, they never wander far from the spot until 

 the all-important duties of the year are over. 

 As time goes on, and boisterous March has dried 

 up the rills and fallows, and April comes once 

 more with her fickle smiles of sunshine and 

 her copious tears of rain, the migratory birds 

 begin to make their appearance. First and fore- 

 most of these little strangers is the Wheatear, 2SJ? 

 a bird that frequents the stony grounds, old March> 

 quarries, downs, and sheep-walks. Almost simul- 

 taneously with his arrival we hear the monotonous 



