254 CLASS AVES. 



form than the chaffinch. She places it usually on fruit-trees, 

 and chooses the weakest branches ; it is also found in cop- 

 pices and thorny bushes. She employs, for the external 

 part, little roots, fine moss, and the down of certain plants, 

 which she covers again with lichens. The interior is com- 

 posed of dried plants, of horse-hair, wool, and the most 

 downy feathers ; on this bed she deposits five or six white 

 eggs, spotted with brown towards the thick end. 



Though the goldfinches do not construct their nests until 

 the middle of spring, they have yet three broods, the last of 

 which takes place in August. The young cannot suffice for 

 themselves for some time, even after quitting the nest ; accord- 

 ingly there is much patience requisite to rear them artificially. 

 The best are said to be those which are born in thorny bushes, 

 and belong to the last brood. They are, it is said, more gay, 

 and sing better than the others. They must be taken in the 

 nest, when all their feathers are disclosed, and fed with the 

 following composition : some simnel, peeled almonds, melon- 

 seeds, or nuts, or marchpane, should be pounded together. 

 Of the paste resulting from this mixture, little balls should 

 be made like small grains of vetches. They should be given 

 one by one, with a skewer, about three or four in succession 

 at one time, to each yoimg bird, to which you afterwards 

 present the other end of the skewer, with a little cotton on it, 

 steeped in water. When they begin to eat alone, they may 

 be nourished with hempseed, bruised with melon-seed ; and 

 when they are strong, they may receive the hempseed alone. 

 This complicated paste which we have mentioned, and which 

 is not easy to make, might be replaced by another, less diffi- 

 cult of composition. This is composed of hempseed and 

 rapeseed, well bruised, crumb of bread, and yolk of egg. 

 The "whole is steeped in a little water, and given by billsfull. 

 When they can eat alone, the hempseed may be removed 

 from this composition, and replaced .by millet, especially if 



