u6 



cassell's book of birds. 



miration to keep off all rivals ; for in their case, as sometimes happens with their betters, love and 

 jealousy go hand in hand. At length a suitable spot for building is found upon a forked or gnarled 

 branch, or sometimes even in the thatch of a house. The nest itself is most beautifully made, being 

 as round as a ball, and open at the top. The thick outer wall is formed of green moss, delicate roots 

 and blades of grass, and these materials are covered externally with bits selected from the tree itself, 

 woven together by means of the webs of various insects, so that the nest might easily be mistaken 





; -vi. , 'yM 



THE CHAFFINCH (Fringilla Calebs). 



for a part of the branch on which it is placed ; indeed, even a naturalist would have the greatest 

 difficulty in finding it, and the uninitiated could only discover it by chance. The interior is round, 

 deep, and snugly lined with a bed of hair, feathers, and fibres of wool or cotton. Whilst the nest is 

 being built, and during the time the female broods, her mate pours out an uninterrupted flow of song, 

 and every other male responds to his notes with great zeal, for these little creatures are not only 

 actuated by jealousy, but by ambition. Chaffinches, like other singing birds, strive to vie with each 

 other in their performance ; but the rivals soon become so excited In their efforts that their voices fail, 

 and they are compelled to give vent to their rage by chasing each other through the branches, until at 



