A Robin's Nest For
Instance, The Other Day Was Discovered In An Old Shoe, Discarded By A
Tramp And Thrown Over The Wall Into The Shrubbery.
Nests are not always
made where flowers grow thickest, and birds have the oddest way of
placing them - a way which quite defeats rational search.
After looking
into every nook, and places where if built a nest would be hidden from
passers-by, suddenly it is found right in front of you and open to view.
You have attributed so much cunning to the bird that you have deceived
yourself. In fact, it sometimes happens that the biggest fool is the best
bird's-nester, and luck in eggs falls to those who have no theory. But
December throws doubt even on the fool's capacity, for as the leaves fall
there appear nests by the dozen in places never suspected, and close to
people's faces. For one that has been taken ten have escaped.
The defect of nest-building lies in the absence of protection for the
young birds. When they grow large and feel strong they bubble, as it
were, over the edge of the cup-shaped nest. Their wings, though not yet
full-grown, save them from injury in descent by spreading out like a
parachute, but are powerless to assist them after reaching the ground. In
the grass they are the prey of rooks, crows, magpies, jackdaws, snakes,
rats, and cats. They have no means of escape whatever: they cannot fly
nor run - the tall grass stops running - and are frequently killed for
amusement by their enemies, who do not care to eat them.
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