34 RURAL BIRD LIFE. 



from the ground ; in the lowly hawthorn ; the alder 

 bordering the stream ; sometimes in the ash, sixty feet 

 above the ground ; more rarely in the beech ; while very 

 often the towering oak and silver birch are selected. We 

 also find it in every species of fruit tree ; and what I 

 have noticed as very singular is, that though the nest is 

 often very conspicuous, it is often overlooked until the 

 eggs are hatched, or the young have left their birthplace 

 for ever. Missel-thrushes will sometimes build their nests 

 very close together ; I on one occasion counted four of 

 their nests a few yards apart in the secluded corner of a 

 swampy wood. The nest is placed in some convenient 

 fork, often built on a branch growing at right angles to 

 the trunk, and but very rarely constructed amongst the 

 more slender twigs. I on one occasion found a nest 

 belonging to this species in a large yew shrub : the nest 

 was placed at the end of one of the slender branches, 

 five feet from the ground, and was but very slightly 

 secured : it contained four eggs. In my opinion the 

 nest of this bird is but very rarely found in these 

 situations. It is composed of a few twigs, ccarse grass, 

 sometimes growing chickweed, mixed with large masses 

 of wool, cemented with mud, and lined with a very 

 thick lining of the finest grass. Some nests are com- 

 posed externally of a species of moss which grows in 

 swamps, and when dry is a greenish-white colour. This 

 when skilfully woven with the slender twigs of the 

 birch, and placed in that lovely sylvan tree, forms one 

 of the most beautiful specimens of bird architecture. I 

 have known this bird use ivy leaves for the outside of 

 its nest, which was placed in a hawthorn tree just 

 bursting into leaf. Of all the birds which have come 

 before my notice, perhaps none deposit more regularly 

 the same number of eggs. I have examined scores of 



