CHAFFINCH AND SPARROW 89 



impression of spontaneous joy and gladness, 

 which it conveys to the listener, and both the 

 bird and its eggs are protected by the law. 



The song of the Chaffinch, or Shilfa (Frin- 

 gilla cselebs), is monotonous but merry. Its nest 

 is singularly neat. It is built in the fork of a 

 tree or branch. The materials are moss, hair, 

 and feathers, skilfully interwoven, and artfully 

 covered on the outside with lichens, so that it 

 is not easily seen, even when one is looking 

 straight at it. The eggs are five, dull bluish- 

 green, clouded with dusky red and blotches of 

 a deeper tint (Plate VI., Fig. 8). 



The most impudent and best-known of 

 birds is the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), 

 whose nest is generally disclosed by its untidi- 

 ness. It is set in a crevice of a wall, or 

 beneath the eaves of a house, and is built of 

 straw, lined with feathers. The bird lays five 

 or six dull light-grey eggs, spotted and streaked 

 with ash colour and dusky brown (Plate VI., 

 Fig. 9). Notwithstanding its plentifulness 

 and obvious appearance, the situation of the 

 nest renders it difficult to reach, and it is 

 scarcely possible to get the eggs without 

 a ladder. 



