THE FINCHES 117 



I frequently visited the spot in the course of the day, nothing more 

 was seen of the bird until about twenty-four hours afterwards, when 

 the pair began placing a number of fibrous roots in front, in the form 

 of a half-circle, the back part of the cavity being left untouched. In 

 a few hours' time some stalks of plants were added, and from four 

 o'clock in the afternoon until noon next day the birds disappeared. 

 They next laid the foundation of the other half of the circle, continuing 

 steadily at their task until the structure was equal in height all round. 

 They now appeared more eager to proceed, working so diligently that, 

 by the evening of the fourth day, the mass of roots, grass, and stalks of 

 plants formed a perfectly circular wall, an inch and a half in height, and 

 about two inches in thickness, somewhat loose and irregular upon the 

 outside, but with the inside neatly interwoven, and sloping rather 

 suddenly to the bare patch of ground enclosed. On the morning of 

 the fifth day, I observed a few feathers upon the ground in the centre, 

 and the number rapidly increased until the sides were covered more 

 than half-way towards the brim ; in the evening the feathers were 

 almost concealed by a quantity of cow's hair, among which a little wool 

 was intermingled. More work was done that day than any other." 

 Dr. Saxby strewed some rabbit's fur about, and continues : "Although 

 it was soon discovered, the birds were not quite contented, using 

 it rather sparingly, and working it into a felt-like mass, with wool, 

 and the hair of cows and ponies. This process appeared to be 

 one of difficulty and to require great care, for it was not before the 

 evening of the eighth day that the task was completed, the brim of the 

 cavity being by that time neatly finished off with a few long black 

 horse-hairs, and measuring exactly 2^ inches in diameter." 1 In 

 another nest which was found by Dr. Saxby, "a layer of curved 

 white duck's feathers" was also covered up under "a thick layer 

 of wool, intermixed with hair of cows and ponies." 2 



1 Birds of Shetland. 



2 Ibid. Thus the fact of some twites sticking a feather or two conspicuously in the nest 

 does not lose interest, and if it occur with any frequency (as near Bradford it does) must be 

 due to more than chance. 



