nearly beaten by one nest. I knew to within a few yards of where it was, 

 in a small patch of oak and birch, with oak leaves thickly strewn over the 

 ground, which was covered with small ferns and tufts of grass, but find it 

 I could not, even with the most systematic searching. I tried approaching 

 cautiously and trying to put up the sitting bird, but my feet made such a 

 noise among the dry dead leaves that she always hopped away along the 

 ground before I saw her, or slipped off the nest when my back was turned. 

 I got myself hidden a little way off, and watched her for three-quarters of an 

 hour hopping about among the twigs and small bushes, quite unconcernedly, 

 as if she had not any nest at all ; but at last she dropped suddenly to the 

 ground and did not fly up again, so I gave her two or three minutes' grace 

 and then walked quietly up. She got up when I was still some six yards 

 distant, and I took then three or four minutes to find the nest. It was almost 

 entirely hidden among the dead leaves and grass at the base of a small 

 mound, and was built in a hollow in the ground under an overhanging clod 

 of moss-covered earth. There was very little nest, but the hole was lined 

 with a little moss, a few bits of dry grass and a quantity of feathers, and 

 contained seven very highly incubated eggs. 



The Willow Wren's nest is very neatly constructed. It is nearly domed 

 over, but the eggs are always visible, as the entrance is sloped back towards 

 the top. It is rather loosely built outside with dry grass, moss, and dead 

 leaves, according to the surroundings, and lined carefully inside with fine 

 grass-roots, horse-hair, and a profusion of feathers. It is usually artfully 

 concealed among the grass at the root of some large weed, tuft of grass, or 

 broom bush. A very favourite place is where a dead branch has been grown 

 over with rank grass, and dead leaves, blown by the wind, have lodged 

 among the twigs. 



The number of eggs laid varies from five to eight. They are white in 

 ground colour, spotted or finely peppered with pale reddish brown ; they have 

 a delicate creamy tinge when perfectly fresh, but lose it when blown or highly 

 incubated. Some specimens have the markings nearly all at the large end, 

 where they form a sort of irregular zone; others are very finely peppered all 

 over, or, more rarely, the spots are few and rather large. They may be 

 distinguished from the eggs of the Chiffchaff or Wood Wren by the paler 

 colour of the markings, and from those of the Tits by the site and shape 

 of the nest. They vary a good deal in shape as well as in size, some being 

 long and narrow and others nearly round. They vary in length from 72 to 

 55 inch, and in breadth from -50 to '44 inch. 



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