CHAP. IX.] INSTINCT OF BIRDS. 77 
CHAPTER IX. 
On the Peculiarities and Instinct of different Animals—Eggs of Birds— 
Nests—Feeding habits—The Beaks of Birds—Wings of Owl—TInstinct in 
finding Food—Ravens—Knowledge of Change of Weather—Fish. 
THERE are two birds, which although wild and unapproachable 
at every. other time, throw themselves during the breeding-season 
on the mercy and protection of man: these are the wood-pigeon 
and the missel-thrush. Scarcely any bird is more wary than 
the wood-pigeon at other times, yet in the spring there are 
generally half a dozen nests in the most exposed places close to 
my house, while the old birds sit tamely, and apparently devoid 
of all fear, close to the windows; they seem to have an instinctive 
knowledge of places where they are allowed to go through the 
business of incubation without being molested. In like manner, 
the missel-thrush, though during the rest of the year it is 
nearly impossible to get within a hundred yards of it, forms 
its nest in the apple-trees close to the house: they build ata 
height of six or seven feet, in the fork of the tree where the main 
limbs branch off; and although their nest is large, it is so care- 
fully constructed of materials resembling in colour the bark of 
the tree, and is made to blend itself so gradually with the branches 
as to show no distinct outline of a nest, and to render it very 
difficult to discover; and this bird, at other times so shy and 
timid, sits so close on her eggs that she will almost allow herself 
to be taken by the hand. The missel-thrushes on the approach 
of a hawk give a loud cry of alarm, and then collecting all their 
neighbours, lead them on to attack the common enemy, swooping 
and striking fearlessly at him, till he is driven out of the vicinity 
of their nests. 
The observation of the different plans that birds adopt to avoid 
the discovery and destruction of their eggs, is by no means an 
uninteresting study to the naturalist. There is far more of art 
and cunning design in their manner of building, than the casual 
