174 RURAL BIRD LIFE. 



see it on the orchard tree ; placed in some convenient 

 crotch in the hedgerow ; far in the solitudes of the birch 

 woods, on some lichen-covered branch ; or some fifty 

 feet or more up the branches of the oak or elm. Then, 

 too, we sometimes find it in the spreading yew tree ; 

 frequently amongst the branches of the holly and white- 

 thorn ; and more rarely in the prickly branches of the 

 gorse. I once found a Chaffinch's nest on the banks of 

 the river Derwent, in amongst the frowning hills of the 

 wide-famed Peak. It was built on the side of a wall 

 bordering the river, and was under a tuft of grass grow- 

 ing from the wall. The materials of the nest were so 

 closely woven with the tuft of grass, that other support 

 it did not require : indeed, no further support was avail- 

 able, and the nest hung suspended over the roaring 

 stream. It contained five eggs, and the female bird was 

 sitting quietly upon them. 



The Chaffinch probably takes more time to build her 

 snug little home than any other British bird, save, in- 

 deed, the Long-tailed Titmouse. We visit it day by day 

 for nearly a fortnight ere we find it ready for the eggs. 

 First the outside framework, made of rootlets, moss, and 

 grasses wove beautifully together, and further strengthened 

 with cobwebs and lichens, is completed ; then the inside 

 has to be lined with a thick and soft bed of hair and 

 feathers and the down of various seeds. Were we to 

 stay near the place during the whole period the nest is 

 being made we should probably never see the male bird 

 do any of the nest building. He, however, brings the 

 greater part of the materials to his mate, who receives 

 them, and, unaided, weaves them into the structure which, 

 in our ideas of beauty, is a matchless piece of handiwork. 



Mimicry is the Chaffinch's most frequent form of 

 protective instinct. Wherever we find the Chaffinch's 



