THE REDBRfcAST. 235 



Good natural songs Nests How taken. 



birds can equal it; and his own natural song 

 being an exceeding good one,, is preferable to 

 any that can be taught him. 



The redbreast breeds in the spring, and is so 

 prolific that some of them are said to have two 

 or three nests in the months of April, May, and 

 June. The hen builds her nest on the side of a 

 ditch or bank, amongst thorns and briars, or. 

 hedges; likewise in the woods, which they haunt 

 in summer. In order the more successfully to 

 conceal her nest, she covers it with leaves, suffer- 

 ing only a narrow winding entrance under the 

 heap to be left. Those that stay about farm-yards 

 build in out-houses, and broken walls of old 

 buildings; .her nest is made of coarse materials, 

 the outside of dry green moss, intermixed with, 

 coarse wool, small dried sticks, straws, leaves, peel- 

 ings from young trees, and other dried stuff, lined 

 with a few horse hairs, on which she lays five or 

 six eggs, but sometimes no more than four, of a 

 cream colour, sprinkled all over with fine reddish 

 yellow spots at the blunt end, so thick that they 

 appear almost in one. 



These birds may be taken at ten or twelve 

 days old ; if left too long, they are apt to be sul- 

 len, and consequently much more troublesome 

 to bring up ; they should at first be put in a lit- 

 tle basket, with soft hay at the bottom, and kept 

 very warm, especially in the night. In bringing 

 up they should be treated in the same manner, 

 and supplied with the same food as the woodlarJc 

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