1)R. THEODOR NEUMANN. iij 



perished from hunger during the stay away from Gies- 

 sen, as they need food at least every two hours. 



Th»re are several examples of birds' nests being placed 

 on different parts of a ship's rigging, for instance in the 

 "bunts" of the main and mizzen topsails, ^. e., the 

 place where the sail is gathered up into a bundle aear 

 the mast. A pair of sparrows built their nest under 

 the slings of the foreyard of the ship ^^Ann of Shields ^^^ 

 just before leaving port, and when the vessel reached 

 the Tyne, the birds went ashore and brought back ma- 

 terials wherewith to complete their home. 



According to the reports of many observers the nest of 

 the titmouse (Parus major) may be found in the most 

 extraordinary localities, such as hollow trees, holes in 

 old walls, the interior of disused spouts, sides of gravel- 

 pits, the hat of a scare-crow, the inside of a porcelain jar, 

 or the cylinder of a pump. One bird had actually chosen 

 a bee-hive as its residence, and had succeeded in build- 

 ing its nest and rearing its young while surrounded by 

 the bees going to and retarning from their work. An- 

 other titmouse continued to get into a weather cock on 

 the summit of a spire, and there made its nest in security. 



Many country housekeepers have learned to their sor- 

 row how fond the sparrow is of building in water-spouts, 

 thereby choking up the passage and causing the house to 

 be overflowed. 



The nest of the coot (Fulica atra) is a huge edifice of 

 reeds and rank water herbage, sometimes placed at the 

 edge of the water, and sometimes on little islands at some 

 distance from shore. If the water should suddenly rise 

 and set the nest floating, the coot is very little troubled 

 at the change, but sits quietly on her eggs, waiting for 

 the nest to be stranded. 



The nest of the mallard duck (Anas boschas) is some- 

 times built in a tree at some elevation from the ground, 

 so that when the young are hatched the mother is driven 



85 



