42 BIRDS' NESTS. 



fed and took his rest it was hard to say ; for 

 he seemed too fond of music to leave time for 

 either. Where his nest was, no one could 

 tell ; the bushes were so thick that it was 

 impossible to search them, and Mr. Miller was 

 very glad of that, fearing that if any one found 

 the nest, the birds would fly away to some 

 other place, and so he should lose their song. 



A little further on, near the top of a low 

 oak-tree, covered with ivy, was a large nest, 

 to which Mr. Miller climbed up, and found it 

 to be a jay's nest. The outside was of sticks, 

 and the inside of small roots matted together 

 very closely, and it contained five eggs of a 

 dull greenish colour, speckled all over with 

 light brown. One of these was taken to add 

 to the collection. 



On the ground, in the midst of a tuft of 

 brambles, a pheasant had built her nest. It 

 was so close to the path, that from it the 

 patient bird could be seen sitting on her eggs. 

 Mr. Miller never went near it, for fear that the 



