162 



KEARTONS' NATURE PICTURES 



April, May, and June, is a beautiful 

 example of avian architecture. It is CUP- 



CHAFFINCH'S NEST. 



shaped and built of moss, wool, down, 

 and spiders' webs, closely woven and 

 felted together, lined on the inside with 

 horsehair and a few soft feathers, and 

 adorned on the outside with bits of lichen. 

 Occasionally small pieces of paper are 

 used for the latter purpose. The structure 



is generally placed in the fork of a small 

 tree or upon a horizontal branch at a 

 height of from three to twelve or fifteen 

 feet. 



The eggs, numbering from four to 

 six, are pale greenish blue, suffused with 

 faint reddish brown as a rule, and streaked 

 and spotted with purplish buff. 



Both parent birds are very assiduous 

 in their attentions to the young, and the 

 male frequently indulges in his jovial 

 song after delivering his catch of cater- 

 pillars and other forms of insect life. 



A curious accident befell one of the 

 chicks figured in the coloured plate a 

 day or two before it fledged. Whilst 

 passing the nest one evening I noticed 

 something dangling from the side of the 

 nest and discovered that it was a young 

 bird suspended by a single horse hair 

 twisted round its leg. The unfortunate 

 creature was quite cold and gasping with 

 the spasmodic irregularity of approaching 

 death. Releasing it I put its icy little 

 body between my sweater and my side 

 for half an hour. This resuscitated it, 

 and I had the ultimate satisfaction of 

 watching it fly away with its brothers 

 and sisters. 



