Part 2

"The cavern-loving Wren sequester'd seeks The verdant shelter of the hollow stump; And with congenial moss, harmless deceit, Constructs a safe abode. On topmost boughs The glossy Raven, and the hoarse-voiced Crow, Rock'd by the storm, erect their airy nests. The Ouzel, lone frequenter of the grove Of fragrant pines, in solemn depths of shade Finds rest, or 'mid the holly's shining leaves; A simple bush, the piping Thrush contents, Though in the woodland concert he aloft Trills from his spotted throat a powerful strain, And scorns the humble choir. The Lark too asks A lowly dwelling hid beneath the turf, A hollow trodden by the sinking hoof: Songster of heaven! who to the sun such lays Pours forth as earth ne'er owns. Within the hedge The Sparrow lays her sky-blue eggs. The barn, With eaves o'er-pendent, holds the chattering tribe. Secret the Linnet seeks the tangled copse. The White Owls seek some ruin'd antique wall, Fearless of rapine; or in hollow trees, Which age has cavern'd, safely courts repose. The thievish Pie, in twofold colours clad, Roofs o'er her curious nest with firm wreath'd twigs, And side-long forms her cautious door; she dreads The talon'd Kite, or pouncing Hawk, savage Herself, with craft suspicion ever dwells."

FACTS AND ANECDOTES OF NESTS AND EGGS.

EASTER EGGS.

During the fifteen days after Easter, which constitute the Russian carnival, the people of that country supply themselves with eggs, variously coloured, which they send or give to one another as presents; and when they meet during this time they salute with the words, "Christ is risen;" to which the other having answered "He is certainly risen," they kiss one another. He that salutes first is obliged to present the other with an egg; no one, of whatever rank or sex, being allowed to refuse either the egg or the kiss. This custom prevails in many Catholic countries; the eggs, it appears, being considered as an emblem of the resurrection.

EGGS USED AS COIN.

The want of any copper coin in Peru has given rise to a curious practice of which Lieutenant Maw was informed at Truxillo. A person coming to the market of that city, and not wishing to spend a real upon every article, purchases a real's worth of eggs, with which he or she proceeds to market; buying an egg's worth of vegetables from one, and so on from others, till all that was wanted has been obtained. The eggs are taken as current payment, and finally purchased themselves by those who require them for use.

ILLUMINATED NESTS.

The birds that build hanging nests are at Cape Cormorin numerous. At night each of their little habitations is lighted up, as if to see company. The sagacious little bird fastens a bit of clay to the top of the nest, and then picks up a firefly, and sticks it on the clay to illuminate the dwelling, which consists of two rooms. Sometimes there are three or four fire-flies, and their blaze of light in the little cell dazzles the eyes of the bats, which often kill the young of these birds.--_Dr. Buchanan._

AN EGG WITHIN AN EGG.

A few years since, M. Seguin submitted to the Academy of Sciences at Paris, a hen's egg of extraordinary size, in which was a second egg. Its dimensions were eighty-eight millimetres by fifty-nine, or nearly three inches and a half by two and a quarter. More recently, in 1855, there appeared in an English scientific journal, an account of a similar oological curiosity, produced in Scotland, in the case of a turkey's egg.

A BOY REPROVED BY A BIRD.

A correspondent of "The Youths' Instructor" relates the following anecdote, to which our young readers are earnestly requested to pay especial attention:--"When quite young, in my boyish days, I had watched some sparrows carrying materials to build their nests, (in the usual season,) under the eaves of a cottage adjoining our own; and although strict orders had been issued that none of us should climb up to the roofs of the houses, yet birds' eggs formed a temptation too powerful to be easily resisted, and self-gratification was considered rather than obedience. A favourable opportunity presenting itself, the roof of the house was ascended, and not only was the nest pillaged, but seized and carried away. It was soon stripped of all its unnecessary appendages, that it might appear as neat as possible. Amongst the _externals_ thus removed, was a piece of paper, which had been a page of one of Dr. Watts's hymn-books; and which, thrown away, had been taken by the poor bird for the purpose of strengthening the nest, or increasing its warmth. A word or two caught my eye, and I unfolded the paper. Need I say that, boy as I was, I read these verses with, to say the least, _curious_ feelings.

"Why should I deprive my neighbour Of his goods against his will? Hands were made for honest labour; Not to plunder nor to steal.

Guard my heart, O God of heaven, Lest I covet what's not mine; Lest I take what is not given, Guard my hands and heart from sin."

NESTS AND EGGS OF FAMILIAR BRITISH BIRDS.

SECOND SERIES.

CROSSBILL.

EUROPEAN OR COMMON CROSSBILL. SHELL OR SHIELD-APPLE.

FIGURE 1.

Of those curious birds called Crossbills, from the peculiar construction of the bills, the points of which cross each other, there are three species known in this country, but two of them, namely, the Parrot and White-winged Crossbills, are very rare, only a few specimens having been taken here. The more common kind is a migratory bird, coming in large flocks at very irregular intervals, and visiting more especially those parts of the country where there are woods and plantations of fir and pine, of the seeds of which they are very fond, extracting them with great dexterity from between the scales of the cones; for this operation, the projecting points of the bill appear to be well adapted, as well as for picking out the apple-pips, as they are called, and kernels of other fruits; hence the name shell-apple given to the bird, which was a not uncommon visitor to the English orchards in former times; thus in a curious old record we are told that "In the yeere 1593 was a greate and exceeding yeere of apples; and there were greate plenty of strang birds, that shewed themselves at the tyme the apples were full rype, who fedd uppon the kernells onely of those apples, and haveing a bill with one beake wrythinge over the other, which would presently bore a greate hole in the apple, and make way to the kernells; they were of the bignesse of a bullfinch, the henne right like the henne of the bullfinch in coulour; the cocke a very glorious bird, in a manner al redde or yellowe on the brest, backe, and head."

We would not advise our young readers to take the above as a lesson in spelling, although it is a very lively and faithful picture of the Crossbill, great flocks of which were English visitants in 1254, 1593, and 1791, when a bird-catcher in Bath caught one hundred pairs, which he sold for five shillings each; again in 1806, 1828 and 9, and 1835; ever since which time they have generally remained with us in greater or lesser numbers, having been probably induced to do so by the greater abundance of fir plantations. They are very lively birds, chattering and making a shrill noise while engaged in their favourite occupation of picking out seeds; they swing about on the branches of the trees often head downwards, and are very nimble and graceful in their movements, and so fearless of the approach of man, that they can frequently be taken with a hand-net, or knocked down with a stick.

That the Crossbill sometimes breeds in this country there cannot be a doubt, but it does this only as an exception to the general rule; the nest, which has been found at various seasons, has been described as of a loose texture, not unlike that of the Common Greenfinch, though not nearly so well nor so carefully built; the eggs also are not unlike those of that bird but larger. In Norway and Sweden, where the bird habitually breeds, the nest is built in the uppermost branches of the pines and firs; it is composed of grass, moss, and the finer portions of these trees; one has been found here on an apple tree, and another on a fir, and another, near Dartford, in Kent, on the lowest fork of a pine; this was composed of dry twigs, but no eggs were laid in it, the curiosity of frequent observers having driven the bird away.

Although we have placed this among our _familiar_ British Birds, the eggs to English collectors are rare and difficult of attainment, and should be prized accordingly. The scientific name given to the species is _Loxia curvirostra_, both the terms having reference to the shape of the beak, the first coming from the Greek _loxos_, curved, and the latter from the Latin _curvus_, curved or bent, and _rostra_, the beak. By some naturalists _EuropÊa_ is the generic term, and this so closely resembles the English name as to require no explanation.

STARLING.

COMMON STARLING, OR STARE.

FIGURE 2.

This handsome and well-known bird is sometimes called, when young, the Solitary Thrush. Its scientific name is _Sturnus vulgaris_, which is simply the Latin for the Common Starling. It may be met with in all parts of Britain, even in the Orkney and Shetland Isles, where it sometimes breeds in rocky caves, and fissures, and holes in the turf. More towards the south its nest is found in hollow trees, cavities in chalk-pits, sandy banks and old buildings; it is large and rudely fashioned of straw, roots, dry grass, and other vegetable fibres, with frequently a lining of hair and feathers; the eggs, from four to six in number, are of a delicate greenish blue colour, sometimes altogether plain, but frequently spotted with black; they are of a longish oval shape.

"Nidification," as Mr. Morris tells us, in his beautiful work on British Birds, "commences about the beginning or middle of April." This word, my readers should remember, comes from the Latin _nidus_, a nest.

Incubation lasts about sixteen days; _incubatio_, as we have already explained in the first series of "Nests and Eggs," is the Latin for to lie or sit upon. These are words we shall often have to use, and therefore we think it well to explain their meaning here, lest they should have escaped the memory of some who take this volume in hand.

The Starling is gregarious and insectivorous, that is, it goes in flocks and feeds on insects; chiefly on insects, we should say, but not altogether, for it likes also worms, snails, grain, fruit, and seeds of various kinds, so that it may be almost called omnivorous, eating all things. A bold lively bird, something like the Magpie in its habits, given to picking and stealing when it can get a chance; it is, nevertheless, a general favourite, on account of its beauty and teachability, if we may use such a word. It has naturally a low musical note, which is uttered by both male and female, although least by the latter, and may be taught to articulate many words, so that it is often kept in confinement, where, like the poor bird in Sterne's "Sentimental Journey," we may fancy we hear it exclaiming in piteous tones, "I can't get out!"

CHOUGH.

CORNISH CHOUGH. RED-LEGGED, MARKET-JEW, OR HERMIT-CROW. RED-LEGGED JACKDAW. GESNER'S WOOD-CROW. CORNISH, CHAUK, OR CLIFF-DAW. CORNWALL KAE, OR KILLEGREW.

FIGURE 3.

Plenty of names here for one bird. Oh, stay, here's another--Long-billed Chough; not to count the scientific names, the most common of which is _Corvus graculus_, that is a Chough Crow, or a Crow Chough, whichever may be preferred. Some naturalists use a longer specific name, and say _Pyrrhocorax_, which comes from the Greek _pyrrhos_, red, and _Corax_, a Crow. A fine handsome fellow is this, with his sable plumes, over which shimmers a steely blue reflection; his bright eye, and long red bill, and legs of the same colour; the very handsomest of the Crow family, and with us the rarest, although, from all that we can read and learn, it was formerly by no means uncommon, especially in Cornwall, as its name imports. It now occasionally occurs in small flocks in various parts of Great Britain, generally near the coast, where it builds amid the cliffs a rude nest of sticks lined with wool and hair; the eggs are generally five in number, of a dull white colour, spotted with grey and light brown, most thickly at the larger end. Sometimes the nest is found in old church or other towers, especially such as are in a ruinous condition.

The Chough feeds chiefly on grasshoppers, beetles, and other insects, in search of which, says Mr. Morris, it will follow the plough like the Rooks; it will also eat the smaller kinds of crustacea, or shell-fish, and grain and berries. Now and then it indulges, like the Common Crow, in a feast of carrion. It has a shrill note something like that of the Jackdaw; it also chatters, and steals, and talks, as well as a Starling, in short is a most accomplished feathered performer. One of its favourite haunts is, or used to be, Shakspere's cliff at Dover, and our great poet describing that grand and sublime scene, alludes to the bird.--

"Here's the place:--stand still. How fearful And dizzy 'tis, to cast one's eyes so low! The crows and choughs that wing the midway air, Show scarce so large as beetles."

RAVEN.

CORBIE. CORBIE CROW. GREAT CORBIE CROW.

FIGURE 4.

Scientific name, _Corvus corax_, the first being the Latin, and the second Greek, for a Crow. This is the largest, as it is also one of the best known of the Crow tribe or family. It is found in nearly all parts of the world--in the coldest as well as the hottest climates--amid the wild mountainous regions of everlasting snow, in the depths of the gloomiest forests, and on the wide prairies and sandy plains, its hoarse cry may be heard; as well as on the lonely island, whose shores are lashed by the foaming waves of the mighty ocean, and seldom or ever visited by the prow of the merchant or other vessel.

A bold familiar bird is the Raven, with jet black plumes, and a large powerful bill, fitted for tearing to pieces the flesh of animals on which it often feeds; and a deep hollow voice, that grates harshly upon the ear; and strong feet armed with sharp talons; and wings that spread out to a great extent, and with regular and well-timed beats, _flap_, _flap_, _flap_, winnow the air, and support the bird in its long flight over land and sea; while the broad tail, now elevated and now depressed, now turned this way and now that, gives to the heavy body the desired direction. "_Croak!_" one hears the sound, and scarcely knows whether it comes from the air above or the earth beneath; but presently the sunshine is obscured by a black shadow, and swoop! down comes the bird of ill omen, as people have generally agreed to consider it, down upon the sick sheep, or any other weak and defenceless creature, that may be within the compass of its keen sight, and commences picking out the eyes of the animal, reminding us of the punishment threatened by the Lord against disobedient children, as mentioned in Proverbs, and paraphrased in Dr. Watts' familiar lines:--

"Have you not heard what dreadful plagues Are threatened by the Lord, To him that breaks his father's law, Or mocks his mother's word. What heavy guilt upon him lies, How cursed is his name, The Ravens shall pick out his eyes, And Eagles eat the same."

Then again, as we see the strong-winged bird sweep far away over the wide sea, we think of the time when the waters covered the face of the whole earth, and "Noah sent forth a Raven, which went to and fro until the waters were dried up." Or, if in some scene of wild sublimity, some valley hemmed in by lofty mountains, through which a stream goes winding silently, we are startled by that black shadow and harsh grating note, we fancy ourselves by the brook Chereth, where the Ravens brought bread and flesh, morning and evening, to the prophet Elisha, being commanded to do so by God, who, as we are told in Job, "provideth for the Raven his food;" and in Psalms, "heareth the young Ravens which cry."

In nearly all parts of Great Britain these birds are found, they were formerly more abundant than they are at present, gamekeepers and others having long waged war against them, on account of their real or supposed propensity to destroy the young hares, partridges, pheasants, etc.

In the northern and western parts of Scotland, and in some of the Scottish Isles they are numerous. They make large nests composed of sticks, cemented together with mud, and lined with roots, wool, fur, and such other soft materials as come most readily to hand, or we should rather say, to beak and claw; they are said sometimes to rob the sheep's backs. Their building-places are cliffs and precipices, church towers, caves and rocky fissures, and the clefts between the forked branches of tall trees. The eggs are from four to six in number, of a pale olive green, more or less blotched and spotted with greenish brown and grey. They are early builders, sometimes commencing in January; the eggs, says Mr. Morris, have been taken in the middle of February. Incubation lasts twenty days; both male and female sit on the eggs, in defence of which and their young, they will fight desperately, driving off the hawks, and even eagles and vultures.

The Raven is known to live to a great age, often when in a domesticated state, seeing out two or three generations of a family; it is one of those birds which possess the power of imitating the human voice, and many anecdotes are told of its proficiency in this respect. It is a very sagacious bird, indeed so cunning that it has been thought by ignorant persons, to know more than it ought, and to be in league with witches and other "uncanny" people. Constantly do we find its cry alluded to by both ancient and modern poets, as ominous of death.

"The Raven is a dreaded bird, The stoutest quail when his voice is heard, For when, 'tis said, his dismal cry Rends thrice the tranquil azure sky, 'Tis the token, Surely spoken, That ravenous death is hovering nigh."

CARRION CROW.

GOR. GORE, OR FLESH CROW. BLACK NEB. HOODY BRAN.

FIGURE 5.

Everybody knows the Common Crow that goes _caw-cawing_ over the fields through the long summer day, and hunts in the freshly-turned furrows for grubs and wire-worms, and settles down upon the marshes where the white flocks are feeding, dotting them here and there with great black spots, as though some literary giant had taken too much ink in his pen, and scattered it out over the landscape before he began to write. Oh yes, everybody knows the familiar Crow, called by scientific people _Corvus corone_, Latin and Greek again for the same thing--a Crow! Black and all black is he, a kind of Raven in miniature, closely resembling that bird in his habits as well as appearance. A foul feeder, delighting in putrid carcasses, and all kinds of meat that is not merely a "_little_ touched," but "very far gone" indeed. The shepherd does not like him, neither does the gamekeeper, neither does the farmer, although we are inclined to think that the dislike of the latter is owing to an unfounded prejudice; true it is that our friend _Corvus_ does sometimes eat grain, but he prefers animal food, and oftener feeds on worms and other grain-destroyers. If you wish to find his nest, you must climb into the tall elm tree, or far up the face of the chalky cliff; it is made of sticks, cemented together with clay, and lined with roots, straw, wool, moss, or any soft substance which can be had. If in a tree, it is usually placed among the topmost branches, or else on a bough near to the trunk, so as to be well sheltered and hidden from view. The eggs, from four to six in number, are of a pale bluish green or grey, speckled, some very thickly, with light brown and deep grey.

The Crows, like the Ravens, pair for life; the work of building is shared by both birds, and generally commences about the end of February, or beginning of March. There is a variety of this species which is almost wholly white, and this is the case also with the Raven. Harrison Ainsworth has written a spirited song on the Carrion Crow, of which this is the first verse:--

"The Carrion Crow is a sexton bold, He raketh the dead from out the mould; He delveth the ground like a miser old Stealthily hiding his store of gold. _Caw! Caw!_ The Carrion Crow hath a coat of black, Silky and sleek, like a priest's, on his back; Like a lawyer he grubbeth, no matter what way, The fouler the offal the richer the prey. _Caw! Caw! the Carrion Crow!_ _Dig! Dig! in the ground below!_"

HOODED CROW.

ROYSTON. GREY, GREY-BACKED, DUN, BUNTING, HEEDY, OR SCARE-CROW. HOODY.

FIGURE 6.

The Hooded Crow, so called, most probably, on account of the distinct black covering of the head and neck, is not a very common bird in England generally, although it may often be found in certain localities, and at certain seasons, for it is partly migratory, frequenting the southern parts of the island only in winter, usually from October to April. In the north of Scotland, and the Hebrides and other islands, they are always to be found, and in great numbers. In its habits the Hooded Crow resembles the common kind, except that it is more of a coast bird, seldom being found far from the sea-shore, or the banks of estuaries, or tidal rivers.

Its nest is generally placed on tall trees, or the clefts and chasms of rocks and hill sides. Mr. Morris describes it as composed of sticks, roots, stalks, or heather, lined with wool and hair. The eggs are from four to six in number, of a green tint, mottled over with greenish brown; some have been found of a yellowish tinge, or with dashes and streaks of yellow, others of a uniform dull dark green, with but few spots or variations of any kind.

It is the opinion of some naturalists, that the Hooded and Carrion Crows are but varieties of one species, and certain it is that they do sometimes breed together, but there appears to be sufficient distinctive marks and characteristics to warrant the specific difference assumed for them by most of the leading ornithologists.

Frequenting as it does the sea-shore, the Hooded Crow, which may be known by its distinctly marked plumage of dull grey, extending all over the back, breast, and belly, feeds much on shell-fish, which it bears up to a great height, and then lets fall on a large stone or piece of rock, so as to break the shell. We have here an instance of something very like reasoning power, in what we must call an unreasoning creature, nor are such instances at all unfrequent in natural history.

ROOK.

BARE-FACED CROW. YDFRUN, OF THE ANCIENT BRITISH.

FIGURE 7.

Naturalists term this bird _Corvus frugilegus_. With the meaning of the first, or generic name, our readers are already well acquainted; the specific name comes from the Latin _fruges_--fruits, and _lego_--to collect or gather, and from this we learn that it is a _frugiverous_ or fruit-eating bird; it is not, however, altogether so, for it feeds much on insects, worms, slugs, and such small animals, in search of which it digs or delves with its large and strong beak, all around the base of which is bare of feathers, hence the name Bare-faced Crow, by which the bird is known in some localities. It is a matter of dispute whether or not this bareness is caused by the constant use of the bill as a digging instrument; we are inclined to think not, for several reasons, which need not here be stated; but, that the bare whitish skin which surrounds the beak, and which offers such a strong contrast to the rest of the purplish black plumage, is a natural distinction.