244 



broken pines, man}- miles from any human habitation. In its choice of 

 a nesting site it shows great adaptability. Most nests are placed in a 

 recess or hollow of some kind and partly sheltered from above, but the 

 sites are very variable. Some are placed in a hollow or against the 

 trunk of a tree, supported by the outgrowing twigs, others on projecting 

 beams, on trellis work, or even in or under spouting on houses, while 

 many nests are placed on branches of fruit trees or creepers trained to 

 walls and in holes of walls. A common site is on the hinge of an out- 

 house door ; and a good many instances are on record in which the nest 

 of some other species of bird has been taken possession of or built upon. 

 Among these we may mention the Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Black- 

 bird, Dipper, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Hawfinch, Swallow and House Martin. 

 The wisps of flood wrack on trees near rivers are sometimes used as 

 breeding places, and occasionally a nest has been found in a hedge, 

 elder, gorse, or holly bush, in a standard rose tree, or on a ledge of rock. 

 In default of more natural sites the bird has been known to nest in a 

 cup, on a stove (see Yarrell, I, p. 222), inside lanterns, di'ied hedgehog's 

 skin, or skull of fallow deer, etc. These nesting places are often occu- 

 pied for many years in succession, and sometimes the remains of the old 

 nest are re -lined and made to do duty again. Where alternative sites 

 are available, the same nest is seldom used twice in one season. The 

 amount of material used varies according to the site, but generally the 

 nest is composed of moss, with a few stalks and roots, and sometimes 

 cobwebs, lichens, and strips of honeysuckle bark, while the lining con- 

 sists generally of hair, sometimes wool, rabbit down, and fine roots, with 

 occasionally a feather or two. * Few birds will brook more interference 

 with their nesting arrangements, and Gurney {Zool. 1858, p. 6238) gives 

 an extraordinary instance of pertinacity in choice of a breeding place. 

 Eggs. Occasionally 4, but usually 5 and rarely 6 in number. When a 



second brood is reared the number seldom exceeds 3 — 4. The ground 

 colour varies from reddish or yellowish white to pale greenish blue or 

 sea green, which however soon fades. Some eggs are freckled all over 

 with fine red -brown spots and underlying purplish brown markings so 

 as to obscure the ground, others have these markings concentrated into 

 a cap or zone at the big end, while a third type is sparsely marked 

 with fine spots or bold blotches, and sometimes a set is found with a 

 blue ground and entirely devoid of markings. A curious variety in which 

 the colouring matter of the markings is concentrated into one big dia- 

 gonally placed cap, is figured on PI. 41. There is little or 'no gloss on 

 the eggs. 



* In towns cigarette papers and wax matches have been used as nesting 

 materials. 



