KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



217 



provide for their own wants ! The nest of 

 the thrush is constructed with much ingenuity. 

 Its interior resembles a large circular cup, 

 both in form and size. It is quite smooth to 

 the touch, though not polished. To receive 

 this, a substratum of tufted moss is formed. 

 As the structure advances, the tufts of moss 

 are brought into a rounded wall, by means of 

 stems of grass, wheat, straw, or roots. These 

 are twined with it, and with one another, 

 up to the brim of the cup, where a thicker 

 band of the same material is hooped round 

 like the mouth of a basket. 



When any of the straws, or other materials 

 will not readily conform to this required 

 gauge, they are carefully glued into their 

 proper places by means of saliva. This is a 

 fact which a sceptic may realise by the careful 

 inspection of any nest. It is worthy of ex- 

 amination, and a beautiful contrivance to 

 gaze upon. 



When the " shell," as it may be termed, is 

 completed in the manner we have described, 

 the happy pair begin the interior masonry by 

 spreading pellets of horse or cow-dung on 

 the basket-work of moss and straw; beginning 

 at the bottom, which is intended to be the 

 thickest, and proceeding gradually from the 

 central point. This material, however, is too 

 dry to adhere of itself with sufficient firmness 

 to the moss, and on this account it is always 

 laid on with the saliva of the bird as a cement. 

 How must the patience of the little architect 

 be taxed to lay this on so very smoothly, 

 having no other implement than its narrow- 

 pointed beak ! 



No human architect could produce any 

 similar effect with such a tool as this, seeing 

 that the whole surface is of one uniform 

 smoothness ; but from the frame being nicely 

 prepared, and by using only small pellets at 

 a time, which are spread out with the upper 

 part of the bill, the work is rendered easier. 

 Some writers assert that thrushes prefer the 

 dung of cows for lining their nests with ; but 

 experience proves the contrary. Horse- 

 dung is selected, as being the more eligible 

 for the purpose. This may be ascertained 

 by comparing a piece of the dry droppings 

 found in pastures, with the inner wall of the 

 nest. Dry horse-dung retains no smell; 

 whereas cow-dung, though exposed to the 

 heat of the sun for many months, always 

 retains a musky smell, resembling Indian 

 ink. 



On this wall being finished, the birds use 

 for an inner coating little short slips of rotten 

 wood — chiefly that of the willow ; and these 

 are firmly glued on with the same salivary 

 cement, while they are bruised flat at the 

 same time, so as to correspond with the 

 smoothness of the surface over which they 

 are laid. This final coating, however, is 

 seldom extended quite so high as the first ; 



and neither of them are carried quite to the 

 brim of the nest, the birds thinking it enough 

 to bring their masonry near to the twisted 

 band of grass which forms the mouth. 



The whole wall when finished, is not much 

 thicker than pasteboard, and though hard, 

 tough, and water-tight, is more warm and 

 comfortable than might, on a first view, 

 appear, and admirably calculated for pro- 

 tecting the eggs or young from the bleak 

 winds which prevail in the early part of the 

 spring, when the song-thrush breeds. We 

 are so great admirers of the ingenuity of 

 these birds, that we have deemed it right to 

 be minutely particular in describing the 

 manner of their forming their nests. Some 

 find fault with the nests for being water-tight 

 from within, — thereby, they say, admitting 

 rain to spoil their eggs ; but this is ridiculous, 

 as one of the parent birds invariably remains 

 " on the premises" to prevent any such 

 calamity in time of rain. 



Last year a pair of thrushes built their 

 nest in a yew tree, immediately contiguous 

 to one of the lower windows of our dwelling. 

 We could easily reach it with the hand. 

 During the building of that nest we had 

 ample opportunities for watching the parent- 

 birds. We rose very early for the purpose 

 of observation, and found them busy at day- 

 break. Their task completed, five eggs were 

 duly laid by the mamma, and in due time 

 hatched. 



The interval between the laying of the eggs, 

 and the hatching of the young, afforded us 

 many delightful opportunities for observing 

 the affection of these happy creatures. Never 

 was husband more kind or more attentive ; 

 never was wife more charmingly sensible of 

 those attentions, and devoted to her " only 

 love." They loved well and truly. The 

 bustle too, and fuss, consequent upon the 

 departure of the happy family from their 

 cradle, were irresistibly diverting. It was 

 all managed at sunrise. Unobserved by the 

 little party, we were narrowly scanning all 

 their movements. We saw them flap their 

 wings, and assay their powers of flight. We 

 noted their unmistakeable feelings of joy and 

 delight on first peeping round upon the world ; 

 and the obedience they paid to their parents. 

 Not a note uttered by the latter escaped 

 them, and in a day or two they were well 

 able to provide for their own necessities. 

 They were our guests all through the year, 

 and still live in our grounds. 



We have now to record the pleasing fact, 

 of the same parents having again built their 

 nest in the tree adjoining that in which they 

 nested last season. It is built at a height 

 not exceeding five feet from the ground, and 

 we catch the eye of the occupant every time 

 we pass. Ere this reaches the public eye, 

 the young, five in number, will be nearly a 



