BIRDS' NESTS 107 



places one pear-shaped egg on the ledge of a bare 

 rock. 



Some seabirds, however, such as the Gull, the 

 Cormorant, the Shag, and the Gannet, build both 

 good and untidy nests, whilst others again, such 

 as the Puffin and the Petrel, lay their one egg in a 

 burrow in peaty soil, the excavation being made 

 either by the bird itself, or the burrow of a Rabbit 

 is taken possession of. The Petrels will also lay 

 their one egg in a wall or rock. 



The Moorhen and the Grebe often place their 

 rush cradles on the bosom of the water. The 

 latter bird frequently covers her eggs over when 

 she leaves the nest, and the former bird contrives 

 to build the homestead in such a way that it is 

 placed on a solid and sure foundation to allow for 

 any rise in the water. In flood time I have 

 actually seen the nest of this bird floating along, it 

 having been wrenched from its moorings by the 

 force of the storm water. 



The wandering Cuckoo, as we all know, does 

 not build a nest of her own; the Doves construct 

 frail stick nests in which to lay their two white 

 eggs; Owls resort to church towers, hollow trees, 

 the deserted nest of some other bird, and so on; 

 the Swift builds its untidy nest under the roof of 

 a house; the Swallow resorts to a similar habitat, 

 as well as placing its shallow homestead in 

 chimneys, barns, quarries, and other places; the 



