SOME GARDEN BIRDS 



to be handled, or rather to be taken in the 

 beak, without any fear of being messed by it. 

 It is all carried to a distance and then dropped, 

 so that there shall not be anything to betray 

 the spot where the nest is hidden. Very well 

 hidden, too, was this partictdar willow wren's 

 nest, being placed on a hedge bank among ivy 

 and grass. The roof of grass not only hid the 

 eggs from view, but was so like a heap of odds 

 and ends of dry stuff that even if you had 

 caught sight of it you would never have 

 thought of it being a nest. Why this bird 

 should take such trouble to weave a dome 

 over its nest while other ground-building 

 birds like the robin are contented with an open 

 cup, is a question that has often puzzled me. 

 Of course the robin generally builds in a hole 

 in a bank, and the willow wren builds on the 

 ground, hardly ever choosing a recess, yet 

 there are plenty of other kinds of birds, such 

 as the skylark, that make an open nest with no 

 cover out in the middle of a meadow. Person- 

 ally, I think the willow wren's domed nest is 

 to keep the sun off the young birds, which are 

 greatly distressed by heat. One sultry morn- 

 ing the nestlings in question could be seen 

 lying with necks outstretched panting and 



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