BIEDS' NESTS. 



197 



work at once to collect the necessary materials for their nest. 

 Each carries its blade of grass or stem of moss. Large birds con- 

 tent themselves with a coarser structure — chips of wood, or 

 branches of trees interlaced with twigs, lined with hair and other 

 soft materials, are fashioned into the necessary shape. But the 

 smaller species really display great art in framing their miniature 

 dwelling, which they furnish inside with wool, blades of grass, 

 or down, the male and female labouring in the common work. 

 Their effort is to make a soft, warm, and solid bed on which 

 to deposit the coming eggs. The mother-bird has recourse 

 to all sorts of cunning devices in order to conceal her nest 



Fiff. 72. 



Fig. 73. 



from prying eyes, choosing for this purpose the heart of a 

 leafy bush, the forked limb, the concealed crack or hollow in the 



Fig. 7i. 



Fig. 75. 



trunk of a tree, the chimneys of a house, crevices in a wall 

 or under a roof. Curiously enough, the nests of the same 

 species are always fashioned in precisely the same manner. 



