146 STRA Y FEA THERS FROM MANY BIRDS. 



to be obtained in great plenty in these quickset hedges) 

 and finally lined with a thick warm bed of feathers, hair, 

 and wool. The beautiful turquoise blue eggs are from 

 four to six in number. The Hedge Accentor is a close 

 sitter, and glides very quietly off her nest when disturbed, 

 hopping up the hedge for several yards with surprising 

 speed before taking wing. About the same time of year 

 the Robin may be often found nest-building in the 

 hedgerows. This bird never makes its nest in the 

 branches, but always on the ground. We must seek for 

 it on the banks of the hedges, or by the side of the ditch 

 below them, where the cow parsley and the nettles, the 

 primroses and bluebells flourish. A site is generally 

 selected under some overhanging turf or root, and in the 

 first place a little hollow is scratched out in the loamy 

 soil. Moss, dry grass, and dead leaves form the outer 

 shell of the nest, which is well and neatly lined with fine 

 roots and hair. The cup is small not more than three 

 inches across, but the entire nest is a bulky structure. 

 The nest itself is generally placed as far back under the 

 bank as possible in the hollow in the ground, and all the 

 front is filled up with a mass of leaves and moss. From 

 five to eight eggs are laid, white, blotched and speckled 

 with pale brown and gray. 



One of the most beautiful nests to be found in the 

 hedgerows in early spring is that of the Chaffinch. A 

 site is selected on some thick moss -covered branch or 



