The Redbreast was the friend of Burns, sharing alike with 

 other animals those kind feelings, with which ho regarded 

 every object of the creation, and calling fortli some of his 

 beautiful lines. For many winters a Redbreast used to take 

 up its quarters for the night, in a room in which I slept, 

 coming to the window for admission at night, and making 

 signs of impatience to be let out in the morning. Its nest is 

 composed of moss, dried gi'ass, and leaves, lined with hair, and 

 sometimes a few feathers; it is placed in a broken woody 

 bank, often by the side of some slightly frequented country 

 lane, where it is sheltered by the overhanging brushwood, — 

 also, not unfrequently in a hole of an old ruin, or garden wall. 

 Mr. Selby mentions having known several instances, in which 

 its nest occupied the inside of a watering-pot. During the late 

 Summer, a pair of Redbreasts had their nest in some ivy 

 against a garden wall, which the owner was about to remove ; 

 but, being at the same time unwUling to disturb them, he took 

 the nest and eggs, and placed them in a neighbouring bush ; 

 and, much to his satisfaction, soon had the pleasure of seeing 

 the old one reseated upon her eggs. 



The eggs are mostly four or five, sometimes six, and even 

 seven, in number; they are commonly freckled all over like the 

 one in the plate, sometimes more sparingly so, and encircled 

 with a zone of spots near the larger end : the variety figured 

 is one that rarely occurs. Figs. 3 and 4. 



