The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1899-05-19
SLEEPING PLACES OF BIRDS.

London Spectator.
1t is difficult to imagine a spot with
less domestic features to adorn. the
home than a piece OF the bare ceiling
of Il tropical veranda: but the attach
mcnt Of animals to their chosen Sleep
ing place must rest on some preference
quite clear to their own consciousness,
though not evident to US. In some
instances the ground Of choice is in
tcllgihle. Many Of the small blue
British butterflies have grayish spot
ted backs to their wings. At night
they fly regularly to sheltered corners
on tile chalk downs where they live,
alght head downwards on the tops
Of the grasses which there Flourish,
aud closing and lowering their wings
as far as possible, look exactly like a
seed-head on the grasses. Il the uight
is cold they creep down the stem and
sleep in shelter among the thick lower
growth OF grass. The habits of birds
in regard to sleep are very unlike;some
being extremely solcitous to be in bed
in good time, While others are awake
and about all night. But among the
former the sleeping-place is the true
home, the domus ct pcnctrala. IT.
has nothing necessarily in common
with the nest. and birds, like some
other animals and many human be-
ings, often prefer complete isolation
at this time. They want Il bedroom
to themselves. Sparrows, which ap-
pear to 90 to roOst In companies. and
sometimes do so, after vast amount
of talk and fuss, do not rest huddled
up against one another, like starlings
or chickens, but have private holes
and corners to sleep in. They are fond
Of sleeping in the sides of straw
stacks, but each sparrow has its own
little hollow among the straws, just
as each of Il flock Of sleeping larks
makes It's own "cuhicle" on the
ground. A London sparrow for two
years occupied slecping-home almost
as bare Of furniture as the ceiling
which the East Indian butterfly fire.
quented. 1t came every night in win
ter to sleep on "a narrow ledge under
the portico OF house in Onslow
square. Above was the bare white.
washed top Of the portico, there was
no cosy corners, and at eighteen
inches from the sparrow was the gas
lit portico lamp. There every even
ing it slept, and guests leaving the
house seldom failed To look up and
see the little bird fast asleep in its
enormous bedroom. Its regular re-
turn during two winters is evidence
that it regarded this as its home; but
why did it choose this particular por-
tico in place OF a hundred Others In
the same square?
1t is a star cry" from South Ken
sington to the southern cliffs, but the
same sense OF home which brought
the sparrow back nightly to his Lon
don portico brings the cormorats and
the falcons to the same spot In the
same precipcc, year after year, in the
Culver cliffs. There is u certain vault
ed niche, In which the peregrine fal-
cons sleep, winter and summer. 10 the
white wall the precipice, and evera
night at dusk the cermorants fly In
to sleep on their special shelves and
pedestals on another portion OF the
cliff. They come to these few square
yards OF perpendicular chalk, 800 feet
above the surge, as constantly as the
fishermen return to their cottages at
the Foreland. They regard this Sleep
Ing place as their fixed and certain
home, where, safe from gun, crags-
man, or cliff fQE, they can sleep till
sunrise sends them hungry TO their
business Of fishing. But Of all AMI
NAL sleeping places, caves and caverns
are most remarkable for ancient and
distinguished habitation. Like pre-
hlstortc man, the animals alike o.
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