5756 Birds. 



to answer most fully is very simple in itself, and, as prevention of an evil is better 

 than its cure, it will also save much trouble in the end, instead of leaving the poor 

 birds to begin their nests anew, and then having to knock them down as soon as such 

 is perceived to be the case. Last year, having had all the outside wood-work and 

 window-sills of the house from whence this is written fresh painted, and which, being 

 of considerable size, contains more than thirty windows, in front, on the sides and in 

 the corners of which the swallows were before always accustomed to build, 

 causing so much dirt and annoyance that the nests were obliged to be removed ; 

 and this had to be done from time to time, every succeeding summer, for several 

 months together, as the poor birds still persevered in rebuilding as often as a former 

 nest was destroyed, and no other remedy having been applied to prevent their doing 

 so ; but in the summer of the year when the house was so painted not a single swal- 

 low out of all the numbers which were seen about attempted to build as formerly in 

 the corners of the windows, or elsewhere where the repainting had taken place. As 

 the smell of the paint had so effectually prevented this occurring, I thought that in 

 the present year the same result might ensue if I took the precaution of putting in the 

 upper comers of each window-sill a small portion of paint, or some similar substance 

 which would tend to prevent the swallows building there as before. As soon, there- 

 fore, as I perceived the swallows had commenced building in those places, I had the 

 incipient nests removed, and a small spot of tar, of about the size of half-a-crown, put 

 with a brush in the corners of the window-sills. Although this has now been done 

 for more than two months, and numbers of swallows are constantly to be seen flying 

 round the house and about in various directions, not one has since ventured to rebuild 

 its nest in any of the places above mentioned. And, to show the efficacy of the plan, 

 I may mention that a short distance off, at the stables and outbuildings belonging to 

 the house, where no tar has been used, there are now numerous nests built, many 

 containing young ones in them, besides those which have already flown this season. 

 Thus I feel satisfied that this simple process will effectually prevent swallows and 

 martins* from attaching their " procreant cradles " to any house so as to cause the 

 nuisance so often complained of, and almost every place to which swallows resort to 

 build their "pendant beds" may be reached by means of a common paint-brush 

 fastened to the end of a stick of a few feet in length, and the tar or paint be thus 

 easily applied. When we consider the long distance these pretty birds travel to visit 

 us, their perfect harmlessness in all other respects, their utility in destroying super- 

 abundant insects, and the pleasure their cheerful flight and rapid evolutions afford to 

 every beholder, as well as the confiding nature of this social bird, — when all these 

 claims on our compassion are thought of, I cannot but hope the above plan, which so 

 esialy prevents the evil complained of, will be adopted, and thus spare the wanton de- 

 struction of so many innocent lives, given by Him who is the giver of all life. — W.H. 

 Slaney ; Hatton Hall, July 20, 1857. 



" Hurstpierpoint : a great Curiosity. — Some persons were one evening taking tea 

 in the Chinese Gardens, when their attention was drawn to a couple of tomtits, which 

 boldly entered the little room where they were sitting, and disappeared underneath 

 the table. Their curiosity was aroused, and after a long search they found the birds' 

 nest, containing several young ones, in the table drawer. This drawer was about 18 

 inches square, yet the poor birds had filled it with moss, and in the middle of it had 



* Docs not the writer refer exclusively to martins P — E. N. 



