Part 10

From ten to twenty eggs are laid by the Partridge, of a pale yellow-brown, without any spots. There has been some diversity of opinion as to the time of hatching, some holding that the third week of June is the time, whilst others say the middle of the following month; but I think that the locality in which the bird is found has something to do with this difference of time. She does not make any nest worth speaking about, merely scratching and trampling the grass, weeds, &c., down. Her nest is situated on the ground in standing grass, cornfields, among brackens, weeds, &c., mostly in arable districts She sits very closely, indeed so closely that I have known her head cut clean off as she sat on her nest in a field of grass which was being mown.

THE WILD DUCK.

The nest of the Wild Duck is composed of grass, intermixed and lined with down, and is generally situated on the ground near the margin of rivers or lakes, to enable the mother to lead her progeny to the water immediately they are hatched. However, there are numerous exceptions to the usual site of her nest, as it is occasionally found occupying deserted Crows' nests, or built on pollard willows, and has even been found in such an exceptionally odd situation as a church tower, from whence she managed to convey her young in safety. These elevated nesting-places have given rise to much variance of opinion amongst naturalists as to how the parent bird carries her progeny to the water; some contending that she conveys them in her feet, others, in her beak, &c.

This habit of the bird, however, is quite familiar to the Laplanders, who prepare wooden cylinders, which they stop at each end, leaving a hole in the side, and elevate on poles, to entice the duck, which does not hesitate to avail itself of such convenient accommodation; thus the wily Laplander is enriched with a good store of eggs for breakfast. The Hawk-Owl often takes a fancy to the situation, and appropriates it for nidification purposes, paying dearly for his intrusion when the owner of the cylinder comes round to collect his dues.

The eggs of the Wild Duck number from eight to fifteen, of a greenish-white colour, smooth on the surface.

THE CUCKOO.

The Cuckoo seems to think he was born to do nothing else but tell and re-tell

"His name to all the hills;"

for he neither makes a nest nor troubles to rear his young, but leaves them to the tender mercies of unpaid nurses, being partial to the Wagtail, Hedge-sparrow, and Meadow Pipit, who are so affectionate that they have been known to follow and feed the young Cuckoo in a cage. Only one egg is found in a nest, which is of a reddish-grey, with a darker belt formed of numerous confluent spots at the thick end of the egg, but they are very variable.

THE PHEASANT.

Pheasants lay from eight to thirteen eggs of a pale olive-green or brown, without spots. Their nests are composed chiefly of the dried grass where it is situated, which is on the ground amongst weeds, coarse grass, or scrub, in the outskirts of woods. It has, however, been found occupying a Squirrel's drey in a Scotch fir, where she hatched her young, but did not rear them, as from some cause or other they died in the nest. This bird is polygamous.

1. Pied Wagtail. 2. Heron. 3. Woodcock. 4. Swift. 5. Black-headed Gull. 6. Snipe. 7. Chiff-Chaff. 8. Martin. 9. Hedge-Sparrow. ]

THE PIED WAGTAIL.

The nest of this bird is situated in holes in stone walls, bridges, crevices of rocks, quarries, &c. I remember on one occasion finding one in the stump of a rotten tree which had broken off about eleven feet from the ground; they are also found in pollard willows. The nest is chiefly composed of moss, small fine grass, fibrous roots, wool, horse and cow-hair. The eggs number from four to six, and are of a grey colour, speckled with light umber-brown.

THE HERON.

The Heron lays four or five eggs of a pale blue, with a tinge of green. Her nest is composed of a very liberal collection of sticks, and is lined in the interior with wool, and occasionally rags. It is situated on the tops of high trees. Like the Rooks, Herons build in societies, which are called heronries.

THE WOODCOCK.

The Woodcock lays four eggs of a yellow-white colour, blotched with pale chestnut-brown. Her nest is generally found amongst the underwood at the foot of a tree, where she does not appear to try to avoid its being seen, but scratches a slight hollow, lining it with dead leaves and the withered fronds of the bracken. Although the great bulk of these birds are migrants, it is now proved beyond doubt that many are bred yearly in this country. Like the Partridge, Grouse, &c., the young leave the nest as soon as hatched, and are most carefully looked after by the parent bird.

THE SWIFT.

The Swift is the garret-lodger of nature, for she builds her nest in the very highest crevices and holes in steeples, towers, chimneys, rocks, and occasionally, like the Martin, under the eaves of inhabited houses. Her nest is composed of hay, straw, and feathers, in somewhat sparse quantities, which she appears to solder or cement to the stone and to each other with a glutinous substance elaborated by glands peculiar to certain birds of this genus. She lays two or three white unspotted eggs of a rather long oval shape.

THE BLACK-HEADED GULL.

This bird generally lays three eggs, four being occasionally found, of a pale olive-green or pale umber-brown, blotched with black-brown or dark grey; however, they are very variable in ground colour, sometimes being of a bluish-white, unspotted. The nest is loosely built of the tops of sedges, reeds, or rushes, and is placed about a foot or more above the surface of the water or swamp. She is fond of low marshy districts, such as Norfolk, Kent, Essex, and some parts of Lincolnshire, and I have frequently found her round the edges of high mountain tarns in the Pennine range.

THE SNIPE.

The Snipe generally lays four eggs, rather large for her size, of a grey colour, tinged with yellow or olive-green, and blotched with umber or rusty brown, of two shades, more thickly towards the larger end. The eggs are sharply pointed, and invariably placed with the small ends together in the middle. Her nest is placed in a slight depression in the earth, which she lines with withered grass, rushes, or dried heather. It is situated in long grass, rushes, or amongst heather, near to tarns, swamps, bogs, and other places suitable to the habitat of the bird.

THE CHIFF-CHAFF.

This bird lays five, six, or seven eggs of white ground, dotted with brown or blackish-purple spots, predominating at the larger end; the shell is very delicate, and must be carefully handled. Her nest is built of dead grass, the skeletons of leaves, thin pieces of bark and moss, lined profusely inside with wool, feathers, and hair. It is situated amongst furzes, brambles, in hedge-banks near the ground, occasionally amongst long grass on the ground, and is spherical in shape, with an opening at the side.

THE MARTIN.

The Martin seems particularly fond of attaching her nest to the habitations of man. I have counted eighteen nests in as many feet under the eaves of one house. She builds under eaves, angles of windows, arches of bridges, troughs of cow-barns, rocks, sea-cliffs, &c. Her nest is composed of clay and mud, particularly that found on roads covered with limestone, as it possesses great adhesive qualities when dry. If the weather is dull it takes her some time to build her nest, but if it is dry and fine she runs it up quickly, working most dexterously at it early in the morning. She lines it internally with straw, hay, and feathers, and returns to the same nesting-place year after year, sometimes to find her cosy little nest occupied by sparrows. She lays four or five eggs, white, the yolk giving them a slight pinky tinge, unspotted.