320 Animal Life 
‘is used. It is formed in a depression in the ground, as that of a cart-wheel or 
hoof-print, and contains three to five eggs, the nest being often covered with a tuft of 
erass. The egg can be distinguished from that of a woodlark by a belt of olive colour 
around the larger end. his lark is a close sitter when its nest is well hidden, or on 
rough ground, but not so if if is exposed. 
In the first of the photographs on page 325 (mest of Ringdove) it will be seen 
that the nest is well hidden im a spruce fir, and the light shining through shows the 
eges to greater advantage. Sometimes the nest is so thin that the eges (which never 
exceed two in number) can be seen through the nest from below. 
Now comes the nest of the Hedge Sparrow, containing four eges of a light blue 
colour. The nest is too well known to need any description; it may, however, be 
mentioned that it is in this nest that the well-known cuckoo so often deposits its egg. 
I say “deposit,” for I am quite certain it does not lay its eggs there, because they 
have been found in the nests of the common wren and willow warbler, on which 
the cuckoo could not sit to lay its ege. A good 
description of this bird is found in “The Living 
Animals of the World,” page 495. 
The Wild Duck finds material wherewith to 
line its nest from its own body. In the photograph 
the characteristic down is well shown. This down 
is plucked from the bird’s own body, and is woven 
together with twigs and grass to form the nest, 
which is usually found on the ground near water, 
although such is not always the case, as it is occa- 
sionally found in holes in willows, etc. The eges 
ave rather smaller than those of the domesticated 
duck, and of a greenish colour. I have only once 
found a nest without down. ‘This bird is also 
known as the Mallard. 
The Partridge, whose nest is shown here, has 
not made as much nest as these birds usually do. 
It was taken under a blackberry bush on a typical 
Dorset hillside. 
The last photograph—that of a Swallows nest— 
shows three of the young ones as they sit on the 
edge waiting for their mother’s return with the 
fourth little one she was taking round the house for 
a fly. The nest was built in the corner of a porch 
of a friend’s house. Here, again, reflection was required to show the nest and young 
ones to greater advantage. 
It will be noticed at once that these photographs show some of the nests to 
ereater advantage than others, the reason being that some of the situations were more 
or less in semi-darkness, long exposure being absolutely necessary, and thus often 
allowimg the wind to interfere by moving the leaves, etc., around the nests, and therefore 
curtailing necessary sharpness required for a good print. 
‘ ei x CONES 
SWALLOW'S NEST, WITH YOUNG. 
