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Peculiarities and Instinct of different Animals - especially birds, foxes and otters
CHAPTER IX.
On the Peculiarities and Instinct of different Animals-Eggs of Birds-
Nests-Feeding habits-The Beaks of Birds-Wings of Owl -Instinct in
finding Food-Ravens-Knowledge of Change of Weather-Fish.
There are two birds, which although wild and unapproachable
at every other time, throw themselves during the breeding-season
on the mercy and protection of man : these are the wood-pigeon
and the missel-thrush. Scarcely any bird is more wary than
the wood-pigeon at other times, yet in the spring there are
generally half a dozen nests in the most exposed places close to
my house, while the old birds sit tamely, and apparently devoid
of all fear, close to the windows ; they seem to have an instinctive
knowledge of places where they are allowed to go through the
business of incubation without being molested. In like manner,
the missel-thrush, though during the rest of the year it is
nearly impossible to get within a hundred yards of it, forms
its nest in the apple-trees close to the house: they build at a
height of six or seven feet, in the fork of the tree where the main
limbs branch off; and although their nest is large, it is so carefully constructed of materials resembling in colour the bark of
the tree, and is made to blend itself so gradually with the branches
as to showr no distinct outline of a nest, and to render it very
difficult to discover; and this bird, at other times so shy and
timid, sits so close on her eggs that she will almost allow herself
to be taken by the hand. The missel-thrushes on the approach
of a hawk give a loud cry of alarm, and then collecting all their
neighbours, lead them on to attack the common enemy, swooping
and striking fearlessly at him, till he is driven out of the vicinity
of their nests.
The observation of the different plans that birds adopt to avoid
the discovery and destruction of their eggs, is by no means an
uninteresting study to the naturalist. There is far more of art
and cunning design in their manner of building, than the casual
observer would suppose, and this, even amongst the commonest
of our native birds. The wren, for instance, always adapts her
nest to the colour and appearance of the surrounding foliage, or
whatever else may be near the large and comfortable abode
which she forms for her tiny family. In a beech-hedge near the
house, in which the leaves of the last year still remain at the
time when the birds commence building, the wrens form the outside of their nests entirely of the withered leaves of the beech, so
that, large as it is, the passer by would never take it for anything
more than a chance collection of leaves heaped together, and
though the nest is as firm and strong as possible, they manage to
give it the look of a confused mass of leaves, instead of a round
and compact ball, which it really is. The wren also builds near
the ground, about the lower branches of shrubs which are overgrown and surrounded with long grass : in these situations she
forms her nest of the long withered grass itself, and twines and
arches it over her roof, in a manner which would deceive the
eyes of any animal, excepting those of boys. When her nest is
built, as it often is, in a spruce fir-tree, she covers the outside
with green moss, which of all the substances she could select is
the one most resembling the foliage of the spruce : the interior
of the wren's nest is a perfect mass of feathers and soft substances.
The chaffinch builds usually in the apple-trees, whose lichen-covered branches she imitates closely, by covering her nest with
the lichens and moss of a similar colour. Even her eggs are
much of the same hue. Sometimes this bird builds in the wall-fruit trees, when she collects substances of exactly the same
colour as the wall itself.
The greenfinch, building amongst the green foliage of trees,
covers her nest with green moss, while her eggs resemble in
colour the lining on which they are laid. The yellow-hammer,
again, builds on or near the ground, and forming her nest outwardly of dried grass and fibres, like those by which it is surrounded, lines it with horsehair; her eggs too are not unlike in
colour to her nest-while the greenish brown of the bird herself
closely resembles the colour of the grass and twigs about her.
The little whitethroat builds her nest on the ground, at the
root of a tree or in long withered grass, and carefully arches it
over with the surrounding herbage, and to hide her little white
eggs, places a leaf in front of the entrance whenever she leaves
her nest. When the partridge quits her eggs for the purpose of
feeding, she covers them in the most careful manner, and even
closes up her run by which she goes to and fro through the surrounding grass. The same plan is adopted by the wild duck,
who hides her eggs and nest by covering them with dead leaves,
sticks, and other substances, which she afterwards smooths carefully over so as entirely to conceal all traces of her dwelling.
There are several domesticated wild ducks, who build their nests
about the flower-beds and lawn near the windows-a privilege
they have usurped rather against the will of my gardener. Tame
as these birds are, it is almost impossible to catch them in the
act of going to or from their nests. They take every precaution
to escape observation, and will wait for a long time rather than
go to their nests if people are about the place.
The peewits, who lay their eggs on the open fields with
scarcely any nest, always manage to choose a spot where loose
stones or other substances of the same colour as their eggs are
scattered about. The terns lay their eggs in the same manner
amongst the shingle and gravel. So do the ring-dottrel, the
oyster-catcher, and several other birds of the same description
all of them selecting spots where the gravel resembles their eggs
in size and colour. Without these precautions, the grey crows
and other egg-eating birds would leave but few to be hatched.
The larger birds, the size of whose nests does not admit of
their concealment, generally take some precautions to add to
their safety. A raven, who builds in a tree, invariably fixes on
the one that is most difficult to climb. She takes up her abode
in one whose large size and smooth trunk, devoid of branches,
set at defiance the utmost efforts of the most expert climbers of
the village school. When she builds on a cliff, she fixes on a
niche protected by some projection of the rock from all attacks
both from above and below, at the same time choosing the most
inaccessible part of the precipice. The falcon and eagle do the
same. The magpie seems to depend more on the fortification of
brambles and thorns with which she surrounds her nest than to
the situation which she fixes upon. There is one kind of swallow
which breeds very frequently about the caves and rocks on the
seashore here. It is almost impossible to distinguish the nest of
this bird, owing to her choosing some inequality of the rock to
hide the outline of her building, which is composed of mud and
clay of exactly the same colour as the rock itself.
In fine, though some birds build a more simple and exposed
nest than others, there are very few who do not take some precaution for its safety, or whose eggs and young do not resemble
in colour the substances by which they are surrounded. The
care of the common rabbit, in concealing and smoothing over
the entrance of the hole where her young are deposited, is very
remarkable, and doubtless saves them from the attacks of almost
all their enemies, with the exception of the wily fox, whose fine
scent enables him to discover their exact situation, and who in
digging them out, instead of following the hole in his excavations,
discovers the exact spot under which they are, and then digs
down directly on them, thus saving himself a great deal of
labour.
The fox chooses the most unlikely places and holes to produce
her young cubs in ; generally in some deep and inaccessible earth,
where no digging can get at them, owing to the intervention of
rocks or roots of trees. I once, however, two years ago, found
three young foxes about two days old, laid in a comfortable nest
in some long heather, instead of the usual subterraneous situation
which the old one generally makes choice of. Deer and roe fix
upon the most lonely parts of the mountain or forest for the
habitation of their fawns, before they have strength to follow
their parents. I one day, some time ago, was watching a red-deer
hind with my glass, whose proceedings I did not understand, till
I saw that she was engaged in licking a newly-born calf. I
walked up to the place, and as soon as the old deer saw me she
gave her young one a slight tap with her hoof. The little creature immediately laid itself down ; and when I came up I found
it lying with its head flat on the ground, its ears closely laid back,
and with all the attempts at concealment that one sees in animals
which have passed an apprenticeship to danger of some years,
whereas it had evidently not known the world for more than an
hour, being unable to run or escape. I lifted up the little crea
ture, being half inclined to carry it home in order to rear it.
The mother stood at the distance of two hundred yards, stamping
with her foot, exactly as a sheep would have done in a similar
situation. I, however, remembering the distance I had to carry
it, and fearing that it might get hurt on the way, laid it down
again, and went on my way, to the great delight of its mother,
who almost immediately trotted up, and examined her progeny
carefully all over, appearing, like most other wild animals, to be
confident that her young and helpless offspring would be a safeguard to herself against the attacks of her otherwise worst enemy,
I have seen roe throw themselves in the way of danger, in order
to take my attention from their young. No animal is more
inclined to do battle for her young ones than the otter ; and I
have known an instance of an old female otter following a man
who was carrying off her young for a considerable distance,
almost disputing the way with him ; leaving the water, and
blowing at him in their peculiar manner ; till at last, having
no stick or other means of defence, he actually got so frightened
at her threats that he laid down the two young ones and went his
way. He returned presently with a stick he had found, but
both old and young had disappeared. Even a partridge will do
battle for her young. A hen partridge one day surprised me by
rushing out of some cover (through which I was passing by a
narrow path) and flying at a large dog who accompanied me ;
she actually spurred and pecked him, driving him several yards
along the road ; and this done, she ran at my heels like a barndoor hen. As I passed, I saw her newly-hatched brood along
the edge of the path. I have known a pheasant do exactly the
same thing. Wild ducks, snipes, woodcocks, and many other
shy birds, will also throw themselves boldly within the reach of
destruction in defence of their young.
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