Again, the Swift, on its untiring wings for sixteen hours a day, avoids the majority of dangers which threaten less favoured birds, and only lays two eggs, in a position very few other birds could adopt, yet one which secures her little household the amount of safety necessary for the due survival of the species. However, with her limited family, dexterity on the wing, and enduring powers, she seems to have no leisure time during the period her young require feeding. As an opposite, take the House Sparrow, with its five or six eggs, innumerable dangers, and easy access to food, and it must be confessed these things are ordered by a power of infinite wisdom. =Curious Nesting-Places.=--The general situation and locality in which each bird's nest is likely to be found are mentioned in dealing with the bird under its separate heading; however, it may not be uninteresting to chronicle a few of the most remarkable and well-authenticated departures from accepted rules. I have myself found a Dipper's nest on the branch of a tree twelve or thirteen feet from the water and twenty from the bank. This nest was of ordinary shape and size, its material being of the same kind as others, and securely fastened amongst the prongs of the branch like a Missel Thrush's. When the parent bird was disturbed she dived into the pool below to make her escape (a habit invariably adopted when nesting in an ordinary position). She reared her young in safety, however, in spite of the awkward situation she had selected, and I have every reason to believe got them off without mishap. I have also found a Thrush's nest on the ground, precisely in the position a Lark selects.