BRITISH SONG-BIRDS. 129 



go to the nest ; but its instinct is so great that it 

 sometimes flits about before entering the nest: 

 wait therefore until it has gone in and out several 

 times from the same place; when in, steal upon it 

 quickly, otherwise the opportunity may be lost of 

 scaring it, this being the best method of discover- 

 ing the nest ; for, if you do not see the very spot 

 from whence the bird springs, its mossy mansion 

 is so artfully concealed, you may not, after all, be 

 able to find it. The same rule holds for taking 

 the nests of nightingales, wrens, blackcaps, and 

 most of the soft-billed species, which, being the 

 shiest birds, display the greatest ingenuity in con- 

 cealing their nests. The redbreast builds in April, 

 May, and June, and has sometimes two broods in 

 the year. The young birds may be taken from ele- 

 ven to thirteen days old, at which time approach 

 with great caution, laying the hand upon the nest, 

 and don't breathe on the young till secured, lest 

 they scramble over the nest, and the whole be 

 lost. 



Treatment of the Young. 



Put the nest in a clean, dry cage, and, while it 

 (the nest) continues clean, let the young remain in 

 it till they gather strength and incline to perch. 

 f2 



