BIRD-NESTING. 351 



completed. The results of our morning's ornithological ramble may 

 be very briefly stated. Of thirteen nests discovered, four only 

 contained eggs, and even of these four only one had its proper 

 complement, that of a song-thrush, namely, which contained five 

 bonny blue eggs, spotted with black at the larger end, a number 

 rarely, if ever, exceeded. In a merle or blackbird's nest there were 

 only two eggs, instead of the usual complement of four or five. A 

 chaffinch's nest had only one egg, whereas four is the proper 

 number ; while in the nest of a greenfinch, there was also only one 

 egg instead of five, and that one, from certain signs known only 

 to the initiated, we decided had only been laid yesterday, or 

 even early this morning perhaps shortly before our visit. Of the 

 remaining nests, a few were fairly completed, and ready for their 

 egg treasures at any time, but the greater number were only 

 partially finished, and in their unfinished state had suffered so 

 much from sleet and wind and rain, that we much doubt if their 

 builders will have anything more to do with them, for it is a 

 curious fact, that with such rare exceptions as only serve to 

 accentuate and emphasise the rule, all birds prefer building a 

 new nest from the very foundation to occupying an old one, or 

 making the slightest repairs on one that has met with any serious 

 injury. And this, too, you will please observe a bird never 

 improves in his architecture and never declines. He builds to-day 

 neither better nor worse than did his ancestors a thousand or five 

 thousand years ago. The sense or instinct that taught him to 

 build of certain materials and of a certain form, long before Homer 

 was born or Troy was besieged, is the same sense or instinct 

 stilL Nothing added ; nothing subtracted. From all we have 

 seen, we should say that the annual addition to bird life in our 

 country will be considerably smaller than the average. Even first 

 broods will be so late that second hatching is out of the question. 

 Bird-song, however, will last longer into the summer, and begin 

 again earlier in autumn than in ordinary seasons. 



