144 birds' nests. 



is not nearly so fearful, but will sit very clos3; and cock and hen take it 

 by turns. He usss green moss, lines with roots, and his eggs are reddish- 

 speckled. The Goldfinch is very similar, but smaller and more delicate. 

 Bullfinches also build somewhat in the same manner, but are more careless, 

 and do not breed universally with us, frequenting colder latitudes in summer. 



The Buntings are careful architects, and although they do not cover in 

 their nests, take care to have generally a good natural arch of sedge-grass 

 or heath above it. The Yellow Bunting's eggs are exceedingly pretty, 

 marked with purple as if with a fine pen; these markings have been likened 

 to writing, they more resemble, indeed, scribbling than anything else. He 

 uses, in common with the Brown Bunting, grasses mixed with a little mud 

 to give it consistency, and buills on the ground, but the eggs of the Common 

 Bunting are a dull brown mottled. 



All the Larks build on the ground, and have open nests, form their 

 structures of grasses and horse or cow hair, and lay four or five eggs very 

 similar to the Buntings, but smaller; there is only one exception, and that 

 is the Tree-lark, (Alauda arborea.) which is best known by its rising to a 

 small height singing, and descending with outspread wings on the topmost 

 branches — a sort of humble imitation of the Sky-lark, as Mr. Bewick aptly 

 expresses it. The eggs of this bird are deep chocolate-colour, and he often 

 builds in a thick furze brake or other herbage, and when put off the nest 

 will counterfeit lameness for the purpose of enticing you from his retreat. 



The little Hedge Sparrow's nest almost every one knows, with its bright 

 blue eggs. He generally places it in a bush, hedge, or faggot-stack; it is 

 very neatly made with green moss, and lined with hair. This is usually 

 the victim selected by the Cuckoo for foisting off his eggs upon, so 

 unnaturally neglected; this is the more singular as the egg of the Cuckoo, 

 although scarcely bigger than that of a small bird, is different in colour 

 from the Hedge Sparrow's, being light brown-speckled, that we might 

 suppose it would be immediately discarded, but this is never the case in 

 healthy districts. The Common Bunting and Tit-lark also come in for 

 this foster-parental duty. 



All the summer birds, of course, build much later than our own, their 

 nesting-time varying from the middle of April till July. Thus the Black- 

 cap, Whitethroats, and Nightingales have broods in June. The two former 

 have the same manner of constructing a sort of basket-work nest, very 

 deep, and more or less transparent, in some low shrub, the latter in a 

 furze brake usually a little above the ground. The Black-cap's eggs very 

 much resemble the House Sparrow's, white with black specks very delicately 

 marked; the Whitethroat's are merely brown mottled. Many birds are 

 very fond of the same situation, for we constantly find Linnets building 

 in them, and both the Stonechat and Whinchat do the same, whilst the 



