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A P R I L. 



spots. The white-throat builds in almost 

 every wild rose-bush a thin gauzy nest of the 

 dry stalks of the ladies'-bed-straw, or suspends 

 it among the fresh-growing nettles, and lays 

 five eggs of a tawny colour, brown- spotted. 

 Under hollow banks, amongst the "old fan- 

 tastic roots" of trees, especially overhanging a 

 brook, the blackbird delights to build its nest 

 of dry bents, daubed internally with mud, and 

 lined with soft dry grass. Its eggs, in com- 

 mon with those of the rook, crow, and magpie, 

 are green and brown-spotted. In such situ- 

 ations the wren too loves to build, and the 

 thrush. But the thrush, above all things, likes 

 to place its nest by the side of a young fir- 

 tree in a plantation. In young larch and 

 spruce woods they may be found by hundreds ; 

 the nest uncommonly deep, lined only with 

 mud, or mud and cow-dung. Its eggs are of 

 a bright sea-green, with large circular black 

 spots. They are very beautiful. 



In the woods the nest of the jay may be 

 found, in the lower trees, particularly the 

 wilding, a large nest of moss, with eggs co- 

 loured like those of the missel-thrush. The 

 wood-pigeon builds on lofty fir-trees, or trees 



