4 2 BRITISH BIRDS, WITH THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 



cannot do better than quote my own descriptions of eight selected nests from my 

 "Handbook of British Oology": " i. An outer framework of rough twigs and 

 coarse roots, the walls of fine roots and green moss, and the lining of fine reddish 

 fibrous roots. 2. Of coarse, half-decayed straws, bents, and roots, thickly lined 

 with fine root-fibre. 3. Of slender withered grass-straws, and a mass of greyish 

 wool, felted together, and lined with a few black horse-hairs. 5. Of coarse plaited 

 roots externally ; of finer roots, moss, slender white hairs, and a little wool, matted 

 together inwardly, and lined with a few black horse-hairs. 6. Of green moss, 

 with a few twigs and roots, and thickly lined with cocoanut fibre and a few black 

 hairs. 7. Loosely constructed of green moss and spiders' webs, with a few twigs ; 

 lined with vegetable fibre, and a few black hairs. 8. Of twice the usual depth, 

 (like a nest within a nest) formed of green moss, wool, and fibrous roots, in patches, 

 which give it an extremely soft and variegated appearance ; a few twigs outside, 

 and a little hair in the lining." In form the nest is usiially a fairly regular cup ; 

 but the nest taken from sprouting oak-twigs, noted above, is shaped like a sabot. 

 The eggs number from four to six, usually five, and vary in ground-tint from 

 greenish to pinkish- white, rarely to pale green, or buifish ; the markings are, more 

 often than not, chiefly confined to the larger end, and consist of spots, comma- 

 shaped markings, irregular lines occasionally, and blotches of pitchy brown, or 

 blackish, with underlying spots, and sometimes large blotches of sienna reddish, or 

 reddish chocolate. In some eggs the markings are principally confined to a zone 

 near the larger end, and sometimes they are scattered here and there like fly-marks 

 over the entire surface : the form is by no means constant, a shortish oval type 

 being common, though all gradations may be found between this and a long almond 

 or even spindle-shaped type. 



The Greenfinch will pair freely, both in cage and aviary, with the Canary ; and 

 crosses between it and the common Linnet in a wild state, are probably the most 

 frequent and the best authenticated of the numberless well-known wild hybrids 

 which have been recorded. In confinement the Greenfinch breeds as readily as] a 

 Canary, and brings up its young much better, not attempting to pluck them (like 

 that foolish bird) after they have left the nest. It is very pugnacious in the 

 breeding-season, dashing straight at its opponent like a bull at a gate. 



One year I had a cock Greenfinch in an aviary with a pair of Canaries, and 

 of course, the Grosbeak fancied it could easily dispose of its slim opponent, and 

 take possession of his wife ; so, with a harsh defiant zshweer, it charged blindly at 

 him : the Canary took little apparent notice of the Greenfinch until it was within 

 a foot or two, then with a graceful little curving flight he alighted on its back, 

 and plucked out a beakful of feathers. This manoeuvre was successfully repeated 



