132 



CLASS AVES. 



midst of the water. Some of the ciconise place their nests on 

 the summits of buildings, and the herons in the lolly forests. 



The large birds, generally speaking, particularly the species 

 ' which do not usually perch, the gallinae, the grallse, and the 

 palmipedes, construct their nests with but little art or industry, 

 placing them most usually on the ground among the herbage. 

 The vulture and eagle tribes generally make choice of the clefts 

 of precipitous and lofty mountains ; and sometimes these last 

 prefer the top of the loftiest trees to construct an immense nest 

 in, interlaced with small branches, and carpeted within with 

 grass disposed without much ingenuity. The nocturnal birds 

 of prey, to which nature has refused the means of constructing 

 a nest, lay their eggs in the hollows of a tree or rock, or take 

 possession of some nest abandoned by birds of their own size. 

 The pici, the woodpeckers, the sittse, the hoopoes, many tom- 

 tits, fly-eaters, &c. lay their eggs in holes of trees or walls, on 

 materials heaped inartificially together. The bee-eaters and 

 martin-fishers do the same in hollows of the earth. Crows, 

 jays, pies, &c. construct their nests on trees, give them consi- 

 derable solidity with a tissue of roots, fibres of plants and moss, 

 and furnish the interior with wool and hair in abundance. The 

 magpie builds an inaccessible fort, surrounded and covered 

 with thorny branches. 



All birds do not build nests. Some make use Of such as 

 they find abandoned. Others, as we have seen, deposit their 

 eggs in any place that appears convenient. The genuine 

 cuckow lays her eggs in a strange nest, and leaves to a strange 

 mother the care of hatching and educating the offspring. 

 Wilson has lately made us acquainted with a North American 

 bird, the passerina pecoris, (vulg. cow-blackbird,) which does 

 the same. These, however, are the only instances of which 

 we know, as yet, of this deviation from a general law. 



The care of constructing the nest more usually devolves on 

 the female than the male, who seldom does more than collect 



