The Hedge-Sparrow. 219 



strain is a sort of quivering, frequently repeating 

 something like the following, 'tit-tit-tititit/ from 

 which in some places it is called the Titling." 

 The nest is a rather loose structure of twigs, 

 roots, green moss, and wool well rounded inter- 

 nally, and lined with hair. So neat is this lining 

 that Bennie suggested that the birds must moisten 

 the hairs to make them wind, since otherwise 

 it would not be easy to account for the neatness 

 of the work. It is placed in a bush or hedge, 

 usually low down, or favourite places with these 

 birds in the heaps of faggots, pea-sticks, brush, 

 and rubbish so often found in gardens and, shrub- 

 beries. The eggs, from four to six in number, 

 of a uniform light blue colour, are laid often 

 early in March, and, therefore, before the bushes 

 and hedges are in leaf, the consequence being 

 that they not infrequently become the prey of 

 bird's-nesting boys. Cuckoos are particularly 

 fond of depositing their eggs in the nests of 

 hedge-sparrows, a circumstance evidently well 

 known to Shakspeare, as he made the Fool in 

 " King Lear " say 



For you trow, nuncle, 



The hedge-sparrow fed the cuckoo so long 



That it had its head bit off by its young. 



This apparent preference is probably accounted 

 for by the fact that the nest is easily found, as 

 little art is used in concealing it. Frank Buck- 

 land expressed the opinion that one pair of hedge- 

 sparrows could not feed such a glutton as a young 



