116 THE FINCHES 



Rustic amongst things rustic, the twig-woven, moss-padded nest 

 of the bullfinch is a pleasing object for the eye to dwell upon, even 

 exteriorly. The cup, with its fibrous and hirsute lining, on which a 

 feather or two may lie lightly, is still more so one envies the bird that 

 sits there. Tis a sweet sylvan home. There may not be riches, 

 but there is rural abundance. Wool is not an unknown luxury, and a 

 few leaves, even, may add a refining touch to the edifice, 1 which is 

 crowned with content at least I never heard word to the contrary. 



Both the redpolls build well, if somewhat roughly. The nest of 

 Linaria is commonly placed in the fork of a birch-tree, like that of the 

 brambling, and at about the same height, but also amongst brushwood, 

 where it may be but a foot from the ground. It is cup-shaped. Moss, 

 lichen, and grass-stalks enter into its outer texture, enclosing, within, 

 the feathers of the ptarmigan, and soft, woolly down of the willow. 2 

 Similarly situated, and in much the same style of architecture, the 

 smaller nest of Rufescens has a still more elegant appearance, as well 

 as the added charm of being built, yearly, upon British soil a fact not 

 always to the poor bird's advantage. 



For the twite, no one, in my opinion, should presume to speak of 

 its nest or rather of its nest-building otherwise than by quoting 

 from Dr. Saxby's account 3 of a pair which he watched whilst thus 

 engaged unless indeed he should himself have similar credentials, 

 which is not my own case. " One very favourite situation for the 

 nest," says Dr. Saxby (speaking in regard to the Shetlands), " is under 

 a long strip of turf which has been nearly reversed by the plough. In 

 such a situation I once found the commencement of a nest, and 

 derived much interest from watching the progress of the work. 

 When one of the birds disclosed to me the site chosen for its 

 future habitation, by flying out, I could perceive nothing more than a 

 slight hollow which had been scraped beneath the turf, and although 



1 Sharpe and Dresser, Birds of Europe. 



2 Collett. See Sharpe and Dresser, Birds of Europe. 



3 This account has a general interest beyond that Avhich relates to the species in question. 

 Nidiflcation is a very interesting process, but there are not many records of it. 



