New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-06-25
ECCENTRIC BIRD ACTIONS.
CURIOUS PLACES WHERE NESTS HAVE BEEN
BUILT.

CURIOUS PLACES WHERE NESTS HAVE BEEN
From The London Mail.
few DAYS ago The Daily Mall gave publicity
TO the eccentric behavior OF a number OF roplhs
which had built their nests in the organ pipes Oh
St Augustne's Church. Bournemouth.
Places OF worship have always been faVorlte
building-pIaces for birds but it is not often that
a nest is found in pew. one Sunday, now
ever when the family of Wykeham MuSsraFe
were entering their pew at Thame Park Chapei'
Oxfordshire they found "A halfmade robln $ nest
on the bookledge between a hymn book ana Il
prayer book 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 laid In IL.
During the whole OF the next Sundays service
the robin sat in the nest. and it was subse-
quently found that four young ones had been
Matched For two or three sundays after"aru
the attentive mother could be seen flying in and
out Of the chapel during the service conveying
food for her offspring.
The extraordinary situations in which nests
are occasionally discovered almost give one the
impression that birds must be endowed with a
sense of humor. For instance. when a bird Sc
lects a scarecrOw wherein TO build habitation
and home it really seems TO BE- poklng fun at
the farmer or gardener who has resorted to
this device To frighten of the winged raVaSerS
Of his crops.
At a flower show held at Whitstable. Kent.
last year an exhibit which attracted a great
deal Of attention was a scarecrow from field OF
growing peas in the head Of which a very con
fding bird had constructed its nest. But a still
more curious kind OF scarecrow which had been
utilized for the same purpose was presented to
the GrOSvenor Museum. Chester, short time
afterward 4 gamckecpcr on the Garden Park
estate in that county one day shot sparrow
hawk. which he hung upon tree as warning
to other feathercd depredators.
The interesting discovery was subsequently
made that wren had in the most ingenious
r.s.iHrs 10 IN thG r.s-
crow, fixing it on the under side of the dead
hrd's body between the wings and legs.
In another case wren chose an almost
equally strange place for a nest. In a sheep
yard OF Mr.. HOdsOn's farm at ford Sussex
ths re- happened to be last year old Jacket
hanging from beam. In one Of the pockets Of
this the gentle little bird had made its nest
which. when il was discovered, contained five
eggs
1t a wren. too that made its home in an
old cannon at Kcl Harbor. Into the bore Of this
ancient piece Of ordnance some mschievous ur
chins 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 touchhoIe.
The ncighborhood ut that time was much in
Tested by the predatory feline and it was
doubtless instinct which prompted the wren to
make its nest I'm the cannon where it could
bring up its young without the risk Of moesta-
ton.
The ubiquitous sparrow seems to have great
Partially for the railway. A few seasons ago
one built a nest between the Westinghouse
brake OF one of the London. Tilbury and South
end Railway COmpanys coaches and the bot
tom Of the coach The carriage was one in CON
slant use forming part of the local train
ming between Fcnchurch-st. and Dagenham.
The nest was not disturbed. and the eggs were
duly Matched by the courageous bird
\ signal post at Brampton Junction station
was the queer place in which pair of common
wood owls established their quarters last nest
ing season
In several instances a letter box has been
used as a nesting place. At Spauldng a season
or two ago bird built it's nest and success
fully reared it's young in a farmers letter box
In order that it should not be- disturbed the
farmer vert I" the trouble of having tempo
rary box fitted up for the reception Of his let
tiers.