130 BIRDS' NESTS. 



ally in the north of England, they are of rare 

 occurrence. The nest is usually placed in a 

 thick hedge or bush, and is composed of bents 

 and slender stems, and lined with grass and a 

 little hair. The eggs are remarkable for the 

 variety and delicacy of their tinting. Three 

 nests, found all in the same season, contained 

 each five eggs. Those of one set were cream- 

 coloured, irregularly blotched with grey and 

 light brown ; those of another were of a pinkish 

 hue, speckled with light red and purplish- 

 brown; and those of the third were bluish - 

 white, having near the larger end a ring of 

 ash-coloured spots. It is hard to say which 

 of the three is the most beautiful. 



GOLDFINCH. Carduelis elegans. 

 PLATE VIII. FIG. 2. 



THE neat habitation of the Goldfinch is 

 worthy of its brilliant and sprightly owner. 

 It is small, and composed of moss and roots 

 felted together with wool ; externally decorated 



