38 NEWS FROM THE BIRDS. 



visited tlie place, lie took up the greater part of 

 the nest, his smaller comj)anioiis cuddling under 

 his wings. I marked him for a pet. So one 

 evening I walked out to the meadow, and put 

 my hand on the precocious youngster ; he made 

 such a vigorous leap that he almost wrenched 

 himself from my grasp ; but I held him fast and 

 bore him home in triumph. The other bird- 

 lings were so inferior to this sturdy fellow that, 

 with all the racket he made, they only squatted 

 close to the bottom of the nest, and did not try 

 to escape. 



Brownie — for that was the name I gave my 

 precious pet — grew very fast and became a 

 bright, sensible bird, and an excellent singer. 



Nothing is more absorbing than the hunt- 

 ing and study of nests. Where would you 

 look for the nests of the little goldfinches? 

 You will find them mostly on small trees — 

 maj^le trees seem to be preferred — such as line 

 the streets of towns. They make a compact 

 little basket, built of line grass fibers, thistle 

 down, and wool. It is placed neatly in the 

 crotch of a bough, w^here it is well suj^ported 

 all around. But you Mould not be likely to 

 look in a blackberry thicket for a goldfinch's 

 nest, would you ? Yet one summer, much to 

 my surprise, I found one in such a place. 



