Some Bird Architects. 



might be sheltered from harm and permitted to carry 

 out their innocent, useful labours in peace. Ruskin has 

 left us a delightful account of the wonder and admira- 

 tion with which he was filled on being shown a par- 

 ticularly beautiful nest. " The other day," he writes, 

 " I was calling on the ornithologist whose collection of 

 birds is, I suppose, altogether unrivalled in Europe (at 

 once a monument of unwearied love of science, and an 

 example, in its treatment, of the most delicate and patient 

 art) Mr. Gould. He showed me the nest of a common 

 English bird a nest which, notwithstanding his know- 

 ledge of the dexterous building of birds in all the world, 

 was not without interest even to him, and was altogether 

 amazing and delightful to me. It was a Bullfinch's 

 nest, which had been set in the fork of a sapling tree, 

 where it needed an extended foundation. And the bird 

 had built this first story of her nest with withered 

 stalks of clematis blossom, and with nothing else. These 

 twigs it had interwoven lightly, leaving the branched 

 heads all at the outside, producing an intricate Gothic 

 boss of extreme grace and quaintness, apparently ar- 

 ranged both with triumphal pleasure in the art of basket- 

 making, and with definite purpose of ornamental form. 

 I fear there is no occasion to tell you that the bird had 

 no purpose of the kind. I say I fear this, because I 

 would much rather have to undeceive you in attributing 

 too much intellect to the lower animals than too little. 

 The bird has exactly the degree of emotion, the extent 

 of science, and the command of art which are necessary 

 for its happiness ; it had felt the clematis twigs to be 

 lighter and tougher than any others within its reach, 

 and probably found the forked branches of them con- 



191 



