5io BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



The female is rather smaller, duller on her 

 upper-parts, and darker beneath. 



Situation and Locality. I have found the nest 

 of this bird in crevices and holes of rock, in the 

 gnarled roots of trees growing on the banks of 

 streams, amongst fern roots growing on the sides 

 of banks, in banks of rivers, amongst ivy growing 

 against walls and trees, in holes in brick and stone 

 walls, faggot and hay-stacks ; in the thatch of 

 barns; amongst wreckage lodged in a thorn bush 

 by a high flood ; between the stems of two trees 

 growing close together over a stream, and lodged 

 amongst a few slender twigs sprouting from the 

 trunk of a tree where a large branch had been 

 lopped off, fixed to the bare trunk of a tree, and in 

 various other situations. The nest has been found 

 in all sorts of odd places, such as in cabbages run 

 to seed, bodies of scarecrows, and the skeleton 

 of a Carrion Crow hanging against a wall. Generally 

 throughout the British Isles. 



Materials. Moss, dead leaves, fern-fronds, roots, 

 dry grass-stalks, the stems of leaves, lined with 

 hair and feathers. I remember once finding one 

 lined entirely with the feathers of a hen grouse, 

 whose skeleton I discovered not far away. The 

 bird seems to have some idea of the value 

 of harmonisation. The nest I mentioned finding 

 amongst fern roots was composed outside of 

 dead fern -fronds, and the one between the stems 

 of two trees growing close together over a brook, 

 of bright green moss, matching that upon the trunk 

 on either side exactly. The one in the twigs 

 growing from the stem of a tree was composed 

 outside entirely of dead leaves, and looked exactly 

 like an accidental collection. However, there are 



