which have of late taken possession of our 



streets. Often now I find the nests far away 



from any house, on lonely roads where, a few 



years ago, they were rarely seen. Sometimes 



also a solitary farmhouse, too far from the town yjn ^r/o/e^ Nesf 



to be much visited by sparrows, has two or 



three nests swinging from its old elms, where 



formerly there was but one. 



It is an interesting evidence of the bird's 

 keen instinct that, where nests are built on 

 lonely roads and away from houses, they are 

 noticeably deeper, and so better protected 

 from bird enemies. The same thing is some- 

 times noticed of nests built in maple or apple 

 trees, which are without the protection of 

 drooping branches, upon which birds of prey 

 can find no footing. Some wise birds secure 

 the same protection by simply contracting the 

 neck of the nest, instead of building a deep 

 one. Young birds, building their first nests, 

 seem afraid to trust in the strength of their 

 own weaving. Their nests are invariably 

 shallow, and so suffer most from birds of prey. 



In the choice of building material the 

 birds are very careful. They know well that 



