The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-07-04
ECCENTRIC BIRD ACTIONS.
Curious Places Where Nests Have Beer
Built.

CURIOUS i ilGcS w ilclS ANNSNS 1880
Built
A few DAYS ago 1.-THE Daily Mali
gave publicity to the eccentric behavior
of a number of robins which mad puilt
their nests in the organ pipes OF ST AL
gustines Church, Bournemouth.
Places Of worship have always peen
favorlte building-pla for birds, but II
is not often that a nest is found IN
new. One Sunday, however, when the
family of Wykeham MusgraVe We're
entering their pew at Thame Fark
Chanel Oxfordshire, they found half
made robins nest on the bookledge be-
tween a hymn book and prayer DOCK.
They decided to retire to another seat
in favor of the little redbreast intruder
and by the following Sunday the nest
was not only finished, but five eggs had
been lain in it.
During the whole of next Sunday 8
service the robin sat in the nest, and it
was subsequently found that four
young ones had been Matched. For two
or three Sundays afterward the atten-
tive mother could be seen flying in and
out of the chapel during the service
conveying food for her offsprings.
The extraordinary situations in which
nests are occasionally discovered almost
give one the impression that birds must
be endowed with q sense OF humor
| For instance when bird selects
| scarecrow wherein to build habita-
ton and home it really seems to be
poking fun at the farmer or gardener
who has resorted to this device to frigh-
ten off the winged ravagers of his crops.
| At a flower show held at Whitstable,
| Kent, last year an exhibit which at
| tracted a great deal of attention was a
scarecrow from field of growing peas,
| in the head of which very confiding
| bird had constructed it's nest, But
a still more curious kind Of scarecroW
which had been utilized for the same
purpose was presented to the GrosVe-
nor Museum, hester, short time after
ward. A game-keeper on the Garden
Park estate in that country one day
shot a sparrow hawk, which he hung
upon a tree as warning TO other
| feathered depredators
The interesting discovery was subse-
quently made that a wren had in the
most ingenious manner conceivable
built its nest upon the scarecrow, fixing
it on the under side of the dead birds
body between the wings and the legs
| In another case a Wren chose an al
most equally strange place for nest.
In a sheppard on Mr.. Hodson's farm at
Iford, Sussex, there happened to be last
year an old Jacket hanging from a
BEAM In one of the pockets Of this the
gentle little bird had made it's nest,
which, when it was discovered, con-
tanned FIVE eggs.
| 1t was wren, too, that made its
home in an old cannon at Kiel harbor.
| Into the bore of this ancient piece OF
! ordnance some mischievous urchins
had stuffed a quantity Of rubbish, and
on its being cleaned out a wrens nest
was found at the extreme end of the
bore, Immediately below the touchhole
The neighborhood at that time was
much infested by the predatory feline
and it was doubtless instinct which
prompted the wren to make its nest ir
the cannon, where it could bring up its
young without the risk Of molestation
The ubiquitous sparrow seems to have
great partially for the railway.
few seasons ago one built a nest be-
tween the Westinghouse brake of one
of the London Tilhury and Southern
Railway companys coaches and the
bottom of the coach The carriage was
one in constant use. forming part Of the
local train running between Fenchurch-
st and Dagenham, The nest was not
disturbed, and the eggs were duly
Matched by the courageous bird.
A signal post at Brampton junction
station was the queer place in which a
pair of common wood owls established
their quarters last nesting season.
In several instances a letterbox has
been used as nesting place. Al
Spaulding q season or two ago birc
built its nest and successfully reared 1t:
young in a farmers letter box. In orde
that it should not be disturbed, tn,
farmer went to the trouble Of having {
temporary box fitted up for the recep
of ie. Tho Tnn6pr1 Mail