GREENFINCH. 89 
upon twigs which had sprouted from the trunk of a tall oak 
tree by the side of the road. The nest is almost of the shape 
of a sabot, and was placed sideways against the trunk, the 
foot of the sabot being a solid shelving mass of rough 
roots, fine fibre and coarse moss, felted together with 
vegetable wool; a narrow wall of the same materials 
surrounds the cup, which is thickly lined with white wool, 
a few slender fibres, and a single white hair; the cup is 
unusually deep, and the nest altogether has not merely an 
abnormal but a very attractive appearance. 
