THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE HEDGEROWS. 153 



dry grass, leaves, sometimes mingled with a few roots, 

 and lined sparingly with hairs one of the most simple, 

 plain, and slightly made of any nests belonging to our 

 native birds. The eggs are four or five in number, 

 grayish white in ground colour thickly marbled with 

 yellowish brown and gray, and occasionally streaked 

 with very dark brown. 



Even with the closest scrutiny the naturalist is sure to 

 overlook many of the nests which are made in the 

 hedgerows, as proof of which notice the great numbers 

 of empty nests only discovered when the autumnal 

 gales and early frosts have robbed the bushes of their 

 foliage. We have noted the usual feathered inhabitants 

 of the hedges during the spring and summer, but as the 

 meadow-grass grows ready for the scythe, and brown tints 

 creep over the grain fields, birds of many other species 

 may be seen upon them. Flocks of Finches gather in 

 the fields to feed on seeds and grain. Whinchats also 

 frequent the hedgerows, as also do the Willow Wrens 

 and Goldcrests. A season's scrutiny of the hedgerows 

 will not fail to interest and instruct the naturalist, and 

 bring before him in all their beauty some of the most 

 wonderful and curious examples of bird architecture. 



