PICTORIAL GROUPS OF BIRDS, ETC. 405 



Museum, mounted in a plate-glass case, six feet cube, the nests being 

 embellished with the leaves and buds of the elm carefully reproduced 

 by modelling on the natural twigs. 



An odd thing in connection with this case, and one 

 specially flattering to the artist, is that few people realise that 

 the elm-leaves are modelled, and frequent questions have been 

 addressed to the attendant as to where the water is kept in 

 which the stumps are presumably placed to keep the leaves 

 green, whilst one or two visitors have gone a step further, and 

 inquired if it is the heat of the room which has caused the 

 stumps or twigs to throw out leaves ! The reproduction of a 

 photograph (Plate XX.) gives as good an idea of the group as 

 such reproductions usually do. 



A group in the Leicester Museum which appears to attract 

 some attention is far easier to manage. The scene represents 

 a section of the interior of a cow-house — to the exact scale of 

 the original — in which are swallows, Hirundo rustica, Linn., in 

 all stages, just as they were taken. First there are the old 

 male and female flitting past the nest, with four eggs, built upon 

 a ledge ; above this is a nest containing four young only a few 

 days old ; farther along, under the rafters, is another nest, with 

 young birds some two weeks old ; and yet another nest with 

 young birds, fully fledged and with square tails, sitting outside 

 it, they being just at that age when the young are able to fly 

 from their nest in the day to return to it at night. The 

 " bricks " and '' mortar " are modelled, but are not so light as 

 in the next group. 



This represents the roof of an old Leicester house, such as 

 may be seen in the older quarters of the town, and is covered 

 with small Swithland or local slates, usually of very fine and 

 varied colours, differing entirely from the Welsh roofing-slates, 

 which are generally purple. At one end is an old chimney- 

 stack without a pot, built of red bricks. Moulds of the slates 



