58 CHAFFINCH. 



In the neighbourhood of Belfast, where there are 'branches' 

 of the cotton manufacture, these birds use that material in 

 the construction of their nests; and in answer to the objection 

 that its conspicuous colour would betray the presence of the 

 nest, and not accord with the theory that birds assimilate 

 the outward appearance of their structures to surrounding 

 objects, it was replied, says Mr. Thompson, that, on the con- 

 trary, the use of cotton in that locality might rather be 

 considered as rendering the nest more difficult of detection, 

 as the road-side hedges and neighbouring trees were always 

 dotted with tufts of it. 



A correspondent in the 'Field Naturalist's Magazine' gives 

 an account of a pair of Chaffinches which built in a shrub, 

 so close to the window of his sitting-room, that he was enabled 

 to be a close observer of their 'modus operandi,' and its results. 

 The foundation of the nest was laid on the 12th. of April; 

 the female alone worked at the structure, and after unwearied 

 diligence, completed her task in three weeks. Think of this, 

 bird-nesters, and leave the artist the product of her toil; take 

 gently out, if you will, an egg or two for your collection, 

 but leave her some to gladden her maternal heart! The first 

 egg, he continues, was laid on the 2nd. of May; four others 

 were subsequently added, and the whole five were hatched on 

 the 15th. of that month. During the whole of the time of 

 incubation, neither the curiosity of the observer, nor constant 

 observation from the opened window disturbed the parent 

 bird from her care, but she sat most patiently and courage- 

 ously. The male bird often visited his partner, but it was 

 not discovered whether he ever brought her food. Bewick 

 says that the male bird is sedulously attentive to the female 

 during the time of incubation. 



Archibald Hepburn, Esq. writes as follows in the 'Zoologist,' 

 pages 572-3, dating from Whittingham, March 16th., 1844: 

 'About the end of April the first nest is built, and is usually 

 composed of the following materials moss, lichens, grass, and 

 pieces of thread; and lined with feathers, wool, and hair; and 

 out of these simple materials a most beautiful fabric is con- 

 structed. It is placed in a variety of trees and bushes the 

 hawthorn hedge is a great favourite; and two wall pear trees 

 in our garden are almost annually tenanted. One of the oldest 

 circumstances that I can recollect about birds is, that a pair 

 of Chaffinches annually built their nest in an old pear tree 

 till it was cut down about five years ago; and also that the 



