THE WAXWING. 87 



on the branch of a spruce-fir, about nine feet 

 from the ground. Ludwig then snared the old 

 male bird and packed it up with the nest and 

 eggs until "W^olley arrived. 



Then the latter writes : — " You can fancy how 

 eagerly I waited for Ludwig to produce the eggs. 

 With a trembling hand he brought them out — 

 but first the nest, beautifully preserved. It is 

 made principally of black ' tree-hair ' (lichen) 

 with dried spruce twigs outside, partially lined 

 with a little sheep's grass and one or two feathers, 

 a large deep nest. The eggs, beautiful ! magni- 

 ficent ! ! just the character of the American birds. 

 An indescribable glow of colour about them ! 



" Almost every day (and it is now the sixth 

 since my arrival here) Ludwig has told me the 

 story of the Sidensvans' nest, and I am never 

 tired of hearing it : how the season was very 

 backward; how in their expedition he and Piko 

 Heiki were getting very much out of spirits at 

 the little success they met with ; how he saw the 

 bird in the sunshine ; how, when at last the nest 

 was found, he could scarcely believe his eyes ; how 

 he went to it again and again, each time convinced 

 when at the spot, but believing it all a dream as 



