THE GOLDFINCH. 



547 



Nest of the Goldfinch. 



The position of the two nests, however, is very different. In- 

 stead of choosing the forks of a bough, the Goldfinch likes to 

 make its nest near the end of a horizontal branch, so that it waves 

 about and dances up and down as the branch is swayed by the 

 wind. It might be thought that the eggs would be shaken out 

 by a tolerably sharp breeze, and such would indeed be the case 

 were they not kept in their place by the form of the nest. If one 

 of the best examples be examined, it will be seen to have the edge 

 thickened and slightly turned inward, so that, when the nest is 

 tilted on one side by the swaying of the bough, the eggs are still 

 retained within. I have seen the branches of a tree violently 

 agitated by ropes and sticks, and noticed that the eggs in a Gold- 

 finch's nest retained their position until the branch was struck 

 upward close to the spot on which the nest was made, all the 

 previous agitation having failed to dislodge them. 



