Notes and Comments 
NEST IN A LONDON BOARD 
A SPARROWS’ 
SCHOOL’S PLAYGROUND. 
THERE is surely no limit to the boldness of the 
London Sparrow. The accom- 
panyine photograph shows the 
nest of a pair that built in the 
playground of a London Board School. They 
chose for their home the space behind a 
cork-covyered bracket hanging on the wall 
against the caretaker’s house, and, to make 
their ingress and egress easier, pecked away 
the wood. Photograph No. 1 shows the 
bracket mm position, and photograph No. 2 
the nest with its clutch of five eggs. Con- 
sidering the noise and turmoil made by 
hundreds of youngsters playing around it a 
great part of the day, it is surprising that the 
birds chose such a place. Mr. G. C. Grover, 
of Wandsworth, is the photographer. 
we 
A WELL-AUTHENTICATED incident is reported 
from Forfarshire which seems 
to prove that birds are capable 
of counting. We quote from 
the “ Westminster Gazette”: “Two nests of 
the common green plover were discovered in a~ 
The London 
Sparrow. 
Can Birds 
Count ? 
57 
meadow, about a yard apart. Hach nest 
contained four eggs; and the inquiring mind 
of the finder led him to alter the arrange- 
ment, so that in one nest eight eggs were 
placed, while the other was empty. Then 
he retired to a strategic position whence 
subsequent events could be watched. In 
a few minutes the plovers returned, and 
expressed them feelings in unimistakable 
language at this unecalled-for interference 
with their property. Great was the twitter- 
ing and fluttering that went on around the 
nests, but after a time the birds calmed 
down, and the observer emerged from his 
retreat to inspect developments. Hach nest 
was found to contain four eggs as before. 
It would be interesting to know whether 
the mother recognised her own eggs or 
merely removed four haphazard.” 
wa 
“WHAT a pity they ever grow big!” This 
is the exclamation of many 
a lover of animals when watch- 
ing the gambols of some fluffy 
little lutten or puppy, and the remark is 
Owls 
as Pets. 
INTERIOR VIEW, SHOWING 
