CH.1.] WILL BUILD IN THE DRAWING-ROOM. 153 
broom (her “furca”) or her fingers, and out it 
came, when they immediately looked out another 
place and began again. Three or four nests had 
been thus commenced, and as rudely put a stop 
to, when the birds, seeing the mistake they had 
committed in building within the housemaids 
reach, pitched on a spot where they might well 
think the nest would be secure from molestation, 
in a corner, over one of the curtain-rods. Here 
they laboured undisturbed, except that the house- 
maids still endeavoured to hinder their operations 
by keeping the windows shut as much as possible, 
and giving chase to them whenever they found 
them in the room. I have seen the housemaid in 
vain attempting to drive one out, as he kept hop- 
ping about, just out of her reach, with a piece of 
moss or leaf in his mouth destined for the nest, 
to which he at length succeeded in carrying it. 
In spite of this determined opposition they ma- 
naged, by great exertions, to get a rough nest 
finished in time to receive Madame’s first egg. 
They must then have considered their triumph 
complete, but, alas! that very day was the one 
fixed upon for the general half-yearly “cleaning.” 
The doom of the nest was sealed, and a short time 
afterwards I was sorry to see it, looking very 
