CHAPTER XL 



SOME BIRD ARCHITECTS. 



COR sagacity and skill in the selection of suitable 

 -1 material, and in the design and construction of 

 their nests, the birds stand in the very front rank of 

 animal craftsmanship. Although constructed as but 

 a temporary home for the safe-keeping of the eggs and 

 young, yet in its highest development the nest of a bird 

 is a truly wonderful piece of work a thing to marvel at 

 when we remember that its graceful proportions and 

 perfection of construction have been attained without 

 the aid of any special tools or building appliances save 

 the slender feet and legs, the bill, and the soft breast of 

 the parent birds. Its building has been a labour of love, 

 and in its perfect completion it is the outward symbol 

 of that absolute and passionate parental devotion that is 

 sp highly developed among birds. They are such joyous, 

 beautiful little architects, going about their work so 

 blithely, and later, when the nest is full of hungry fledg- 

 lings, doing such invaluable service to mankind in hunt- 

 ing down innumerable plant-destroying insects which 

 form the staple diet of their nestlings, that they deserve 

 all the care and protection we can possibly give to them. 

 Yet thousands of innocent birds are killed by farmers 

 and agriculturists, the very people who most benefit by 



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