Eccentric Birds. 
When writing of the habits of a bird, the 
nest and nesting site are often described and we 
naturally expect to find the bird conforming to 
the established habit or custom of its species in 
this particular. In most cases it does so but 
there are eccentric birds Just as there are eccen- 
ric men, and these individuals have their own 
lecuJiar ideas as to nest and nesting site, and 
>y this individuality prove a source of much in- 
erest to the bird student. 
The first and one of the most peculiar of these 
ases that comes to my mind is that of a robin 
'hich for two successive seasons built its nest 
n the ground in an open orchard and success- 
, u,, y reared its brood - At first I supposed the 
est might have been blown from a tree, and 
lat rather than desert its treasures the robin 
eferred to brave the dangers attendant on a 
-ound habitation. I found this idea erroneous, 
»r not only was there no tree within several 
et of the nest, but the nest itself was securely 
iastered to the earth. Again I supposed one 
< the birds might have been disabled and un- 
;fe to reach the branches of a tree, although 
[rhaps not incapacitated for mating. This 
pry also P rov ed false, as both birds were 
iparently in excellent condition and their 
:wers of flight absolutely normal. The next 
ison the robin built its nest in the near vicinity 
i the base of an old burned stump. 
Jan Beard, the author woodsman, informs me 
It a chimneyswift attached its nest to a pine 
1 . - . -- CL 
In his woodshed and successfully reared 
young, 
v barn 
swallow has for several years nested 
■ brought forth its young in a coil of fire 
*e hanging on a porch over a water cooler 
^re many people pass daily. 
f. he " 1 once own ed insisted on leaving the 
‘ ln f house to lay her eggs under a dog ken- 
: despite the fact that one particular dog 
■ild rush at her each time she approached or 
1 tbe nest Another hen laid her eggs and 
ight forth her chicks in a manger within 
w inches of the cow’s nose. Having chosen 
■ nest she successfully held her ground, fly- 
■ at th f cow’s head whenever it came too close 
i com fort. 
b me boys threw a forked stick into the 
=ches of a chestnut tree and it caught in 
• a manner as to hang suspended. Next 
On a woodthrush built its nest in the forks 
ms insecure, swaying stick and luckily the 
■g birds were out before the stick fell. 
[night hawk laid its eggs on the roof of 
:ity house one spring, but for some reason 
‘ted them after a few days. 
tound a pair of house wrens nesting in an 
r a P°t lying on top of a wood pile. 
?re are many authenticated cases of ospreys 
ng on the open beach, 
oven-bird built its dome-shaped nest one 
T right in the center of an old wood trail 
• anyone in passing must either step over 
the nest and eggs. 
.’lack and white warbler placed its nest so 
near the wheel ruts of a wagon road that not 
only the leaves about it, but the nest itself was 
splashed with mud by the passing wagons. 
A phoebe has for several seasons built its nest 
on the soap rack above the wash basin in Dan 
Beard s cabin in Pike county, Pennsylvania. 
Ihe few foregoing examples show that among 
birds there are eccentric—or shall we say un- 
eveloped .'—individuals, which, while varying 
greatly from the established habits or customs 
o their species, seem to survive and reproduce 
their offspring under most discouraging condi- 
tions; this in the face of an ever advancing 
civilization, when protective coloration, both in 
the colors of the birds themselves and the har¬ 
monious blending of the nest with its surround¬ 
ings, plays such an important part in the per¬ 
petuation of the different species of birds. 
To my mind there are two plausible reasons 
for these eccentricities among birds. I suggest 
as one reason the inferior or superior develop¬ 
ment of mental power in the individual bird. 
With but minor variations a bird will conform 
to the inherited law of its species as to the form 
and materials of its nest, but in the choice of 
the nesting site it must be governed to a large 
extent by its own powers of reasoning and to 
some degree by former experience. 
Changed conditions in their immediate sur¬ 
roundings may seriously affect the choice of 
nesting sites and lead to all sorts of so-called 
eccentricities on the part of the birds themselves. 
Thus the majority of chimneyswifts have found 
chimneys more numerous or better adapted to 
them requirements than hollow trees, and most 
of their nests are now built within these struc¬ 
tures. 
As man pushes his way into the wilderness, 
establishing his domicile in their midst, the 
smaller birds find more nesting sites open to 
t em. These sites usually prove quite inaccessi¬ 
ble to their natural enemies and so they build 
more and more beneath the shelter of man’s 
habitations, finding them in many cases better 
suited to the successful rearing of their off¬ 
spring than the more exposed nest in the open. 
W hen we find a bird so diverging from the 
majority of its species, we call it eccentric, and 
yet it is no doubt showing superior mental de¬ 
velopment in adapting itself to changing condi¬ 
tions and circumstances. In the same way a 
bird which we find nesting in a dangerous or 
exposed locality, we may safely assume to be 
lacking in experience or to show mental powers 
inferior to those of most of its species, and as 
such individuals are unlikely to long survive 
and reproduce, we may well expect to find these 
eccentric cases few and far between. 
Elmer Russell Gregor. 
ager. Richard Croker has here a number of 
dogs, and a part of the equipment of the ken¬ 
nels is a force of cats and terriers to keep down 
the rats, mice and other vermin. 
Recently a large black cat gave birth to a litter 
of kittens which after a while were destroyed. 
Nevertheless a few days later, while going 
through the barn, the manager saw this black 
cat apparently nursing some kittens. When they 
were looked at, the supposed kittens were found 
to have bushy tails—not a kitten characteristic_ 
and after a little investigation and watching it 
appeared that the kittens were really young 
skunks. 
They seem to be doing well with their foster 
mother, have become so well acquainted with 
Mrs. Holden that when she calls them they come 
to drink out of a saucer, and promise to make 
very pretty and interesting pets. It is to be 
hoped, however, that they will never become too 
interesting. 
A Cat Adopts Skunks. 
We have heard of the adoption by cats of 
squirrels, rabbits, chickens and quail, "but there 
is now in Westchester county a cat with 
novel tastes, which has adopted four tiny skunks. 
These are at present at the Deal Kennels of 
which Edwin Holden, of Port Chester, is man- 
Rattlesnakes Striking. 
El Centro, Calif., June 30.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: In a recent article on rattlesnakes 
and their habits, Dr. S. Weir Mitchell said : 
‘In effecting this forward thrust of the neck 
and head the serpent employs only the upper 
part of its body, and, consequently, is unable, 
under any circumstances, to strike at a greater 
distance than one-half its length, while usually 
its projectile range does not exceed a third of 
its length.” 
No doubt Dr. Mitchell knows much about 
snakes and a great deal about the venom of rat¬ 
tlesnakes, but I know he is in error in his asser¬ 
tion that under no circumstances can a rattler 
strike at a greater distance than half its length. 
Dr. John Day and myself ascertained by 
actual trial eighteen years ago that under some 
circumstances a rattler can strike the full dis¬ 
tance of his own length and a little more. Dr. 
Day carefully observed the exact position of a 
small rattler’s tail while I provoked the snake 
to strike my boot. With its tail against a clod 
and with a down hill line, of attack, the snake, 
when aroused to almost frantic belligerency, 
struck my boot at a distance from the tail-site 
of two inches more than its total length as 
measured carefully by both of us. 
The experiment was made directly in conse¬ 
quence of discussion of the very point covered 
by Dr. Mitchell’s assertion. 
Another rattler, a big, fat fellow, once struck 
at me from a bank on a trail in Calaveras, and 
although I was considerably further from his 
tail-hold than his total length, he managed to 
project himself off the bank, hit the brim of my 
hat and fall upon the trail. 
1 he conditions in each case were peculiarly 
favorable to the feat, but the facts controvert 
the statement that ‘‘under no circumstances” can 
a rattler strike more than half his length. Men 
of science sometimes are mistaken. They were 
when they pronounced the coral snake harmless, 
and reliance on their accuracy came near cost¬ 
ing me dearly. Allen Kelly. 
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