EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 109 



16 ' THE BLACKBIRD. 



The Blackbird builds her nest in stone walls, holly bushes, 

 hedges, and amongst ivy. It is made with small twigs, 

 roots, and cow-dung or clay intermixed, and lined inside 

 with very fine slender grass. She has been known to try 

 to build on the side of a cliff, where the sticks, &c, would 

 not remain, but have fallen down until there was enough 

 to make half-a-dozen nests, yet the bird continued to bring 

 fresh material. She lays four, five, and rarely six eggs of a 

 dull bluish-green, spotted all over with brown blotches. 



THE GREAT TIT. 

 The eggs of this bird are from six to twelve in number ; 

 their colour is white, spotted with a reddish-brown. The 

 nest is composed of moss, feathers, and hair, and is situated 

 in holes in walls and trees. The bird has been known to 

 make these holes herself in the trunk of a tree, working 

 with great diligence and rapidity until she had finished. 



THE TEAL. 



The Teal builds its nest where rushes are abundant, chiefly 

 on marshes in Scotland and the north of England. The 

 nest is composed of large quantities of dried sedges, flags, 

 and other water plants, and is lined with feathers. The 

 bird lays eight or ten eggs, which are white, without the 

 faintest tinge of blue. 



THE NUTHATCH. 

 This bird lays from five to seven eggs in number, of a 

 pure white spotted with red-brown. They are very often 

 mistaken for the eggs of the Great Titmouse. The nest 



