The Winslow mail., 1899-09-14
ECCENTRIC BIRD ACIluNs.
Curious Places Where Nests Hays
Been Buiit-Instance from
England.

Places of worship have always been
favorite building-places for birds. but
1T is not often that a nest is found in a
pew. One Sunday, however, when the
family OF Wykeham Musgrave were en-
tering their pew at Thames Park chap
ell, OXfordshire, they found half-made
robins nest on the bookledge between
hymnbook and a prayerbook. They
decided to retire to another seat in ia
vor of the little redbreast intruder, and
by the following Sunday the nest was
not only finished but five eggs had been
laid in it.
During the whole of the next Sun
days service the robin sat in the nest,
and it was subsequently found that four
young ones had been hatched For two
or three Sundays afterward the atten-
tive mother could be seen flying in and
out of the chapel conveying food for
her offspring.
The extraordinary situation 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 whereon to build q
habitation and home it really seems
to be poking fun at the farmer or the
gardener who has resorted to this de-
vice to frighten off the winged ravagers
of his crops.
AT flower show held in Whitstable,
Kent, last year, an exhibit which at
tracted great deal of attention was a
scarccrow from field of growing peas.
in the head of which very confidinp
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, a short time after
ward. A gamekeeper on the Garden
park estate, in that county, one day
shot a sparrow hawk, which he hung
upon a tree as a warning to other
feathered depredators.
The interesting discovery was subse-
quently made that wren had in the
mostingenious manner conceivable built
its nest under the scarecrow, fixing it
on the under side of the dead birds
body between the wings and legs.
In another case wren chose an al
most equally strange place for nest
In sheppard on Mr.. Hodson's s farm at
Iford, Sussex, there happened to be last
year an old jacket hanging from beam
In one OF the pockets of this the gentle
little bird had made it's nest, which,
when it was discovered, contained five
eggs.
1t was wren too, that made it's homo
in an old cannon at Kiel harbor. Into
the bore of this ancient piece of ord
nance some mischievous urchins had
stuffed quantity of rubbish, and on it
beng cleaned out a wren's nest was
found at the extreme end of the bore
Immediately below the touch-hole.
The neighborhood at this time wa.
much infested by the predatory feline
and it was doubtless instinct which
prompted the wren to make it's nest in
the cannon, where it could bring up it's
young without the risk of molestation
The ubiquitous sparrow seems 10
have great partiality for the railway
few seasons ago one built nest be-
tween the Westinghouse brake of one
of the London, Tilbury & Southern Rail
way COdCu6S uuu the DOIIOm
of the coach. The carriage was one in
constant use, forming part of the local
train running between Fenchurch
street 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
pair of common wood owls established
their quarters last nesting season.
In several instances a letter box has
been used as nesting place. At Spaul-
ding season or two ago bird built it's
nest and successfully reared its young
in a farmers letter boX In order that
it should not be disturbed the farmer
went to the trouble of having a tenn
porary box fitted up for the reception
Of his letters. = London Mail