134 BIRD NOTES 



and weaving wreaths, and waving them about 

 before building a bower for the heroine or 

 premiere danseuse ; for the long blossoms were 

 not managed without a good deal of graceful 

 agility on their parts. [I add here from the note- 

 book the sequel to the story of this goldfinch's 

 nest. Editor.] The birds' delight, which was 

 even greater than mine, was an artist's delight, I 

 feel sure that which an artist feels in beginning 

 a new picture, or the delight so well described by 

 Jean Paul Kichter of a young man who has an 

 idea and is going to write a book. An artist, 

 indeed, is apt to feel, as one of them (Orchardson, 

 I think) has said, that he is ' always beginning 

 the good picture and finishing the bad one.' But 

 with these little artists it was all rejoicing from 

 beginning to end, till the eggs were laid ; and then 

 a quiet, patient, but still animated little head 

 could be just seen above the thickening foliage. 

 When I looked at the nest from below I could 

 see nothing of it ; but, alas ! the little artists had 

 not been so careful to guard against the eye of an 

 enemy overhead. One day, after the birds had 

 been for some time sitting on their eggs, and I 

 was looking forward to feeding the young, a terrible 

 catastrophe happened. I was at work at the 

 other end of the garden when I heard a loud 

 screaming and. fluttering in the sycamore-tree, 



