8194 



Birds. 



Nesting of Martins and Sparrows.— Since my residence near Colchester, nearly 

 nineteen years, each spring till the present, successive pairs of martins have built a 

 nest under the broad eaves of the house at the east end, of which, however, when com- 

 pleted, they have not un frequently been dispossesed by sparrows: on such occasions I 

 have served an ejectment on the dishonest intruders by poking 1 down their usurped 

 dwelling. Last season they constructed their habitation as usual, and, not being dis- 

 turbed by bad neighbours, hatched three young ones. Either by accident or design 

 the nest was struck by a ball, which demolished it, and the birds, well fledged, 

 descended gently to the ground. The visitor who had caused the disaster carefully col- 

 lected and placed them on some hay in a bird-cage with a wooden back, and having a 

 door in it, and covered the top and sides with double coarse paper, as a protection from 

 the weather, and hung it up as near as possible to the place where the nest had been. 

 The parent martins immediately commenced feeding the nestlings, which did not ap- 

 pear to be discomposed in their new abode, but often sat in a row on their own door- 

 sill to receive their food. The old birds soon seemed to fancy the opening was too 

 large, for they presently began to plaster it up in a convex form, but did not, in the 

 first instance, close it to the top of the door-way till the young ones took their flight, 

 when they finished the work, leaving only the usual small aperture. They continued 

 to frequent this novel habitation, carrying materials into it, we supposed as a prepara- 

 tion for a second brood, but of this we have no decisive proof, as we all left home soon 

 after, and, being absent several weeks, on our return the hirundine tribes had migrated. 

 On taking down the cage, we perceived an indentation in the centre of the hay neatly 

 lined with feathers, and in several parts of the interior, where air could be admitted 

 between the wires or elsewhere, the crevices were found to be carefully plastered. 

 This spring, in order to ascertain whether the martins would again resort to the cage, 

 it was hung up in the former position, but they did not appear to notice it, and 

 although they were seen to fly once or twice to the old spot, they made no attempt to 

 build as heretofore. In the course of the summer, however, a pair of sparrows, seeing 

 vacant lodgings, viewed them at first with a coy timidity, perhaps suspecting a trick to 

 ensnare them ; but, becoming assured, they took possession, probably for a second 

 brood, enlarged the entrance, and filled the cage with the heterogeneous mass of which 

 their nests are ordinarily composed. In due time they reared their progeny, and the 

 house is again to let. — Joseph Shewell ; Lexden Road, near Colchester, August 27, 

 1862. 



Nest of the Twite. — In Shetland I have repeatedly met with the nest of the twite 

 in walls, both of stone and of turf, in peat stacks, among heaps of stones, in rugged 

 banks of streams, in cavities beneaih large stones lying singly upon the ground; less 

 frequently upon ledges or in crevices of sea cliffs; twice in low elders, at the height of 

 about four fret from the ground ; once in a rabbit-burrow, once in a hay-stack, and 

 once in the wall of a stable, considerably above my reach. I mention these facts, be- 

 cause the twite is usually described as only building among grass or heath. — Henry L. 

 Saxby ; II. M.S. "Devonshire" Sheerness, September I, 1822. 



Further Notes on the Oviposilion of the Cuckoo. — According to Mr. Saxby 's 

 account of the hen cuckoo (Zool. 8164) she lays her egg sometimes after the " foster 

 parent bird" has hatched her own brood, so that, according to this new theory, the 

 poor deluded bird last alluded to has to sit her time over again to hatch the stranger's 

 egg. I certainly cannot reconcile this unnatural mode at all, everything in creation 

 being so regular, consistent and beautiful in all its curious ways; the cruelty also 



