File:Birds and their nests and eggs - found in and near great towns (1907) (14568803450).jpg

Identifier: birdstheirnestse00vosg (find matches)
Title: Birds and their nests and eggs : found in and near great towns
Year: 1907 (1900s)
Authors: Vos, George Herklots
Subjects: Birds Birds Birds
Publisher: London : G. Routledge New York : E.P. Dutton.
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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t often they arenot all hatched, and sometimes they aresimply dropped upon the grass.) Another walk round this island brought usyet more luck. Getting down amongst someflowering grasses on the shore—near wherea constant warble told us we were tres-passers—and after a laborious search amongstthe reeds, there, hanging, we saw a sedgewarblers nest, some two feet from the water.Then, with one leg of the camera standingwell out into the stream, the others fixedas best I could, I got a pretty picture, whichI value much. It was a lovely deep nest,containing four brown speckled eggs. Itmeasured about two inches across inside,and was of the same depth. It was builtround four reeds, and was largely made upof fine fibres that looked like hairs, wovenand interwoven till the structure was quitefirm. One stem was even bent to suit thebuilders requirements and taste. How didthe clever birds begin to fix the first found-ation of their home on those four stems ? 6o WITH THE ISLAND BIRDS ONCE MORE:
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XXIV : There hanging, we saw a sedge warblers NEST, some two FEET FROM THE WATER (J-size). And could we, with our vaunted skill, con-struct the like ? The reeds were soft as yet, MIDDLE OF MAY 6i but strong, and, when looked through, showeda greenish-yellow light, which told me thatthe plates would need a lengthier exposurethan was usually required. Since the stemswere still quite young, it followed that thenest would rise as they grew higher, and sobe safe from floods and rats, and yet notbe so high as to catch the wind (for thestructure of the nest was very frail) or beseen by hawks and suchlike pillagers. Thehen had glided from the nest into somebushes near—a sleek brown object slippingquietly away. And thus we found her nest.She did not need to tell her consort she hadleft the eggs. For he, though hidden in theoak above, renewed his warbles with atroubled strain, and kept them up un-ceasingly, making one wish that he could betamed and take a place amongst cagedbirds. Whilst I wa

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