76 WOODLAND CREATURES 



and coolness. When choosing a nesting place it 

 nearly always selects some evergreen shrub, a 

 small fir tree meeting its requirements to a nicety. 

 For this reason a young spruce plantation draws 

 to it all the bullfinches in the neighbourhood. 

 There is such a plantation near my home, where, 

 in the spring of 1918, I spent much time watching 

 the private affairs of these fascinating little birds. 

 There were two pairs in particular with which I 

 became very intimate. They were nesting within 

 two yards of one another. Both pairs had shown 

 the usual liking of their species for deep shade, 

 and had placed their nests against the main 

 stems of particularly thick young spruces, at 

 about four feet from the ground. This is the 

 average height for a bullfinch's nest, though I 

 have found them a trifle farther from the ground 

 but never more than six feet. Now the green- 

 finch, which nests in similar situations, prefers 

 to get much higher, and makes its home at anything 

 from six to fourteen feet. What makes the differ- 

 ence and influences their choice I wonder ? 



The two bullfinch nests were quite typical ones, 

 being built of small dry spruce twigs and lined 

 with fine roots and hair. They looked fragile 

 structures, and were much stronger than they 

 appeared, for each subsequently held, without 

 disaster, five well-fed nestlings. I found the first 

 nest on May 3rd, when it was apparently ready 

 for eggs ; in fact, the first egg must have been 

 laid shortly after, for on the 7th it held three, 

 typical bullfinch eggs, such exquisite dainty things 



