62 THE BLACKCAP. 



scarlet- berried elder in August, when the brilliant-coloured 

 bunches hang temptingly upon the tree. 



It generally selects a quiet, secluded spot in a planta- 

 tion or wooded dean for its nest, which is built of dry grass 

 lined with hair, and placed in a bush such as a sloe, briar, 

 privet, or bramble, a few feet from the ground. It has 

 nested every summer in Paxton Woods for the last fifteen 

 years. The eggs are usually four or five in number, and 

 vary considerably in colour, but are generally of a dirty 

 white, clouded with yellowish brown, and marked with a 

 few brown spots. 



