556 On the Nesting of Birds in Wiltshire. 



everything which can be made available which comes within 

 their reach. First we see some species acting as plasterers, 

 preparing their mortar, kneading it, and working it, till it attains 

 the proper consistency, and then daubing it on, not in lumps, but 

 in thin layers ; and like wise builders as they are, suffering one 

 layer to dry and harden before the next is added. As examples 

 of those which in one form or other adopt this material, I 

 instance the Thrushes, the Nuthatches, the Swallows and the 

 Martins. Next come the Weavers, and under this head indeed 

 we may range the great majority of species which have any 

 pretensions to nest-making ; for most birds, whether as regards 

 the fabric of the nest itself, or whether only with reference to its 

 lining, weave the moss and hair and feathers together so cleverly 

 that the result is a smooth and even surface to the walls of the 

 cup-shaped cradle they have so skilfully prepared. Sticks, as 

 we have already seen, and fibrous roots, are often used for founda- 

 tions, and (besides the substances mentioned above) wool and 

 lichens and leaves and grass, stems and cobwebs and the down of 

 various seeds, are brought into requisition, either as lining, or as 

 an outer covering for protection or concealment. 



Then, what opposite views are entertained by the different 

 species of what their nest should be ! The Guillemot and the 

 Razor-bill on the ledge of some sea-cliff, and the Lapwing and 

 the Partridge on the open cornfield, are contented with the bare 

 ground on which to deposit their eggs. The Sand-martin and 

 the Bee-eater have little beyond the smooth surface at the end 

 of the holes they have severally excavated in the sand or the 

 river-bank. The Kingfisher has a nest, if it may be so called, 

 peculiar and indeed unique, composed of the fishbones and 

 indigestible remains of the fishes which it casts up. The Wood- 

 peckers and the Owls want no more than the hole in the tree or 

 the hollow stump where they can deposit their eggs. But the 

 great majority of species are not so easily satisfied. The 

 Thrushes, the Warblers, the Titmice, the Buntings, the Finches, 

 the Crows and the Herons are examples of those which require, 

 each to its own taste, more substantial nurseries, and some of these 



