NEST WITHIN NEST. 19 



The next object of attention was a TITMOUSE, of the 

 large black-headed kind, swinging himself about like a 

 rope-dancer, and whistling out his sing-song just like a 

 fellow sharpening a saw. To my surprise, the gentleman 

 entered an old magpie's nest, to which I had paid frequent 

 friendly visits during the previous spring ; he immediately 

 came out again, and jumped about, sharpening his saw as 

 before. One might almost as well handle a hedgehog as a 

 magpie's nest : in this instance some cuttings of gooseberry 

 bushes, skilfully interwoven into an arch above it, rendered 

 it rather more untempting than usual. I was meditating 

 how to commence the attack, when another tomtit flew out 

 in great choler, and rated at me as though I had already 

 robbed her : after a good deal of trouble, during which the 

 slender fir-top was swinging about with me in the breeze, 

 I succeeded in obtaining a peep into the nest : there was 

 nest within nest : the cosiest, softest, warmest little nest, 

 with eight delicately speckled eggs, at the bottom of the 

 magpie's more spacious habitation. I declined meddling 

 with them, whether on account of the awkwardness of my 

 situation, or the intervening gooseberry bushes, or the 

 cruelty, I will not say. 



I have occasionally, though but seldom, found the DAB- 

 CHICK'S nest in the weeds near the banks of this island : 

 it is large for the bird, but of very inconsiderable thickness, 

 and always wet, so that the eggs are for ever in a sort of 

 puddle. The eggs are about as big as a blackbird's, but 



design, there is such a building impetus in birds that it is no uncommon occur- 

 rence for the same pair to commence half-a-dozen nests besides the one which 

 contains the brood : I speak of birds iii a state of nature, but the same propen- 

 sity is exemplified among birds in aviaries, where single birds, male or female, 

 are continually displaying their constructive abilities. E. N. 



c2 



