How Animals Work. 



tion, one popular belief being that the bird is of a 

 highly pious nature and refrains from the labour of 

 nest-building on Sundays. Careful observation of one 

 or two pairs engaged in their architectural labours, 

 however, will suffice to show that this is not the case, 

 the birds labouring as steadily and cheerfully upon a 

 Sunday as on any other day in the week. 



Another expert worker in clay is the Syrian Nut- 

 hatch, which selects as its nesting site the face of some 

 steep overhanging rock the recesses of which afford 

 shelter and at the same time are difficult of access. In 

 one of these recesses the bird builds its funnel-shaped 

 nest, using for the building materials mud mixed with 

 fragments of dry grass. The base of the nest fre- 

 quently attains to twenty-four or twenty-six inches in 

 circumference, while the walls are quite substantial ? 

 and vary from half an inch to fully an inch and a half 

 in thickness. The neck of the funnel, by means of 

 which the bird enters and leaves the nest, varies a good 

 deal in length, and though generally measuring about 

 four inches, sometimes attains to a foot. Within, this 

 remarkable structure is lined with goat's wool, thistle- 

 down, and any other soft material that can be collected 

 in the vicinity of the nesting site. The bird appears 

 to take considerable care in so plastering the outside 

 of its nest as to make it resemble as closely as possible 

 the appearance of the face of the rock against which 

 it is built. It is also stated to evince great pleasure 

 in its mason work, not infrequently building several 

 nests besides the one specially intended for the rearing 

 of its offspring. 



Our British Nuthatch, like the Titmice, generally 



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