THE LIFE ABOUT THE NEST 



nest is that made by a perfectly regular member of 

 the family, the Great-crested Flycatcher. The 

 straw and other substances it collects as a bed for 

 its eggs and young is carried into some hollow tree, 

 old Woodpecker hole, or nesting box. Often a cast- 

 off skin of a snake is used, and sometimes the end is 

 permitted to hang out of the hole — a sort of " scare- 

 crow," perhaps, intended for the notice of annoying 

 neighbours. 



Meagre Nests. — Heretofore, mention has been 

 made only of the nests of birds built with much labour 

 and usually constructed in trees or bushes. A very 

 large number of species, however, lay their eggs on 

 the ground with little or no attempt to gather around 

 or beneath them any special nesting material. The 

 Killdeer's eggs are simply deposited in a slight hole 

 scratched in the earth, usually in an open field or 

 on a rocky hillside. The only lining is a few grass 

 blades or smooth pebbles. To protect them from 

 enemies the birds depend much upon the peculiar 

 marking of the eggs, which makes them look like the 

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