EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 147 



against which Lord Nelson was standing when he received 

 his death- wound on board the Victory. 



Swallows have also been known to adopt quite foreign 

 situations for breeding purposes, such as holes in trees, 

 and even openly on the branches. 



Cases are known of the Starling building its nest 

 down holes in the earth, and also quite exposed in trees, 

 similar to the nest of the Sparrow. It has also been 

 found going shares with a Magpie. 



The Pied Wagtail occasionally chooses strange quarters, 

 one case being on record of a pair building beneath a 

 railway switch, over which trains passed nearly every hour 

 in the day within a few inches of the nest. 



The roof of a house in Hull was once selected by 

 two pairs of Rooks for nidification, and proved a successful 

 choice, for they managed to build nests and rear their 

 young. 



The Common Wild Duck is also liable to depart widely 

 from her usual habit in the selection of a site for her nest, 

 sometimes adopting a Crow's nest, and even the tower of 

 a church, which latter has occasioned much speculation 

 amongst naturalists as to how the parent bird managed 

 to convey her progeny safely to water. 



The Flycatcher is amongst the foremost of our eccentric 

 birds in the choice of breeding quarters, its nest having 

 been found in street lamps in different parts of the country, 

 and in one instance on the head of a hoe hanging against 

 the wall of a tool-house. The nest was removed whilst 

 the hoe was being used, and, when replaced, the birds, 

 instead of deserting it, resumed operations, and eventually 

 reared their brood. 



Another very interesting curiosity of recent date 



