328 HOMES WITHOUT HAMDS. 



the bird comes forth when the young are fully fledged, at the 

 period when the com is ripe ; indeed, her appearance abroad 

 with her young, is one of the signs they have for knowing when 

 it ought to be so. As that is about the end of April, the time is 

 between two and three months. She is said sometimes to hatch 

 two eggs, and when the young of these are full-fledged, other 

 two are just out of the egg-shells : she then leaves the nest with 

 the two elder, the orifice is again plastered up, and both male 

 and female attend to the wants of the young which are left." 



In this curious history of bird architecture, two points are 

 peculiarly interesting, one being the reservation of a higher point 

 whereto the bird may fly in case of invasion, and the other the 

 fact that two broods of young can be in the nest at one time. 



Passing from the birds which build with mud, we now come 

 to those which use vegetable substances in their habitations. As 

 examples of such architecture, we shall select the nests of those 

 birds which are able to construct domed habitations, as well as 

 the remarkable structures which are built by the Beaver birds of 

 Australia. 



The Long-tailed Titmouse (^Pa/rus camdatus) constructs a nest 

 which is quite as wonderful in its way as the pensile home of 

 the harvest mouse. 



This pretty little bird is very plentiful in England, and owing 

 to its habit of associating in little flocks of ten or twelve in 

 number, and the exceeding restlessness of its character, is very 

 familiar to all observers of nature. These flocks generally con- 

 sist of the parent and their ofispring, for the little creature is 

 exceedingly prolific, laying a vast quantity of tiny eggs in its 

 warm nest, and rearing most of the young to maturity. This is 

 a bird which ought to be cherished by all possessors of fields or 

 gardens, for there is scarcely a more determined enemy to the 

 many noxious insects which destroy the fruits, vegetables, and 

 flowers. Fortunately for ourselves, the Long-tailed Titmouse is 

 very fond of the various sawflies, that work such mischief among 

 our fruit trees, and often lay waste whole acres of gooseberries, 

 and it is no exaggeration to say that to a possessor of an orchard, 

 or a fruit garden of any kind, every Long-tailed Titmouse is well 

 worth its little weight in gold. 



