The evening times., 1901-05-20
NESTS AND EGGS OF BIRDS.
Points Given by An Authority on the
Feathered Hosts

CFrom the Brooklyn Eagle)
Frank NJ Chapman. whose books on
birds are authority for all nEtters con-
nec1ed with the study Of the feathered
creatures and who is Jne Of the cUrators
Of the American Museum Of Natural His
tory in Manhattan addressed the mem
bers Of the SrOoklyH Institute last even
ing on The Nests and Eggs Of Birds
The lecture was profusely illustrated with
lantern photographs that We're Of sufh-
cIent beauty to attract, even aside from
their purpose in ampIifying the lecturers
meaning Several pictures of sea birds
and their nests, Derched on inaccessible
spots. were taken with the telephotO lens
and were, therefore, the first Of such pic
lures to be shown.
The critical period in a birds 8 life was
declared TO be just before and just after
Matching, so the lecturer thought the
study of the Influences governing the pa
rents IN the selection of the site and the
building OF the nest an important one
Here followed pictures Of the bird nests
on the ground III bushes and in trees. to-
getheT with those lit IN barns, banks,
chInueyS. and other odd places One OF
the most effective of these was the nest
of the water oUsai of the Rockies which
was in Granny Of bowlder above
rushing stream
The SITUATION Of these nests is governed
10y the tempera ment of the bird T he ed
gle chooses the top Of lofty tree that
grows on q crag and the swallow winch
Is sociabIe- builds in colonies one pict-
uTe showed q bank IN Colorado tltL was
almost completely covered with the bot
tIe-Shaped nests. Birds generally follow
the accepted style of nest for generation
after generation, though there are spe-
cial cases where changes are made, such
building IN barn and chimney and IN
bird houses provided by mankind Phoebe
birds viii leave trees for convenient
spot in the roof Of piazza or summer
house and raise their young in the Ut
most feaTlsSSucSS. seeming. indeed, TO
feel an added sense of protection from the
fact or their human nelShD9rS- me Ac.t-
dian warbler. when in the South. builds
q nest Of Spanish moss and. when IN the
North, makes home that looks not IN
like q large humG-Ing bird : nest IN the
lantern slide This was cited as another
instance of adaptabilitE- Swallows are
miners and masynS. and woodpeCkeTs-
that are provided with q set OF carpeH-
teT's tools, make their homes III the
trunks of trees
Birds may be tTvided into two kinds
perosial and antTesiaL The former are Of
The lower type their young come from the
egg wei covered with feathers and the
egg itself IS larger than that Of the an
zresial bird Of the same size There are
also more eggs in clutch, and the bird
SITS longer on the nest. 1t was related
that one naturalist Uaded from the main
land To get the eggs Of certain kind
Of water bird. took them ia his hand,
into the water and Immediately swan of
in the direction Of the island just left
II is q wise provision Of nature that such
birds are so quickly able to care for
themselves, as no parent bird could care
for so many young at once. for fedgIings
have TO be fed every fifteen minutes. =
fed at intervals of thirty minutes theF
generally die Ostrich eggs are forty-twO
days in incubating, and huming biz17E
eggs fourteen days. There are 1860
known varieties of birds. and a nest may
contain from one to eighteen or twenty
four eggs
Certain birds. such as the brush turkey
place their eggs in a heap of vegetable
matter or sand, where the warmth acts
as an incubator. These young are able
to care for themselves as soon as they
break the shell. The antrosfal birds
which are all those of the higher type
such as the thrushes and the various song
birds. have to be cared for for several
weeks
Eggs that are hidden are generally
white. while those that are exposed in the
nest are coIored. Birds Of the higher type
nearly all have coIored eggs. This tinting
serves for protection. Many pictures
showed how the p!umaEe Of the old birds
and the disposa! Of the nests served to
hide the eggs. An instance Of change Of
habit caused by environment was that of
the sparrow living near an electric light,
catching insects which few near the lamp
at night.