. The bird. Birds. 258 THE COxMMUXITIES OF BIRDS. The negro has not yet invented the door; his hut remains open. Against the nocturnal forays of wild beasts, he ohstnicts the entrance with thorns. Nor does the bird know how to close his nest. What shall be its defence ? A great and terrible question. He makes the entry narrow and tortuous. If he selects a natural nest, as the wryneck does, in the hollow of a tree, he contracts the opening by skilful masonry. Many, like the |)ine-pine, build a double nest in two apartments : the mother sits in the alcove ; in the vesti- bule watches the father,
. The bird. Birds. 258 THE COxMMUXITIES OF BIRDS. The negro has not yet invented the door; his hut remains open. Against the nocturnal forays of wild beasts, he ohstnicts the entrance with thorns. Nor does the bird know how to close his nest. What shall be its defence ? A great and terrible question. He makes the entry narrow and tortuous. If he selects a natural nest, as the wryneck does, in the hollow of a tree, he contracts the opening by skilful masonry. Many, like the |)ine-pine, build a double nest in two apartments : the mother sits in the alcove ; in the vesti- bule watches the father, an attentive sentinel, to repulse invasion. What enemies has he to fear â Serpents, men or apes, squirrels ! And what do I say ? The birds themselves ! This people, too, has its robbers. His neighbours sometimes assist a feeble bird to recover his property, to ex])el by force the unjust usurper. Naturalists assure us that the rooks (a kind of crow) carry further the spirit of justice. They do not pardon a young couple who, to complete their establish- ment the sooner, rob the materialsâ" the movables"âof another nest. v; i ^. Tliey assemble in a troop of eight or ten to rend in fragments the nest of the criminals, and completely destroy that house of theft. And iniiiished thieves are driven afar, and foi'ced to bcirin all over a^ Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Michelet, Jules, 1798-1874; Giacomelli, Hector, 1822-1904. London ; New York : T. Nelson
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Keywords: ., bookauthormich, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, booksubjectbirds
