42 BRITISH BIRDS, WITH THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 
cannot do better than quote my own descriptions of eight selected nests from my 
“ Handbook of British Oology”:—‘‘1.—An outer framework of rough twigs and 
coarse roots, the walls of fine roots and green moss, and the lining of fine reddish 
fibrous roots. 2.—Of coarse, half-decayed straws, bents, and roots, thickly lined 
with fine root-fibre. 3.—Of slender withered grass-straws, and a mass of greyish 
wool, felted together, and lined with a few black horse-hairs. 5.—Of coarse plaited 
roots externally; of finer roots, moss, slender white hairs, and a little wool, matted 
together inwardly, and lined with a few black horse-hairs. 6.—Of green moss, 
with a few twigs and roots, and thickly lined with cocoanut fibre and a few black 
hairs. 7.—Loosely constructed of green moss and spiders’ webs, with a few twigs; 
lined with vegetable fibre, and a few black hairs. 8.—-Of twice the usual depth, 
(like a nest within a nest) formed of green moss, wool, and fibrous roots, in patches, 
which give it an extremely soft and variegated appearance; a few twigs outside, 
and a little hair in the lining.” In form the nest is usually a fairly regular cup; 
but the nest taken from sprouting oak-twigs, noted above, is shaped like a sabot. 
The eggs number from four to six, usually five, and vary in ground-tint from 
greenish to pinkish-white, rarely to pale green, or buffish; the markings are, more 
often than not, chiefly confined to the larger end, and consist of spots, comma- 
shaped markings, irregular lines occasionally, and blotches of pitchy brown, or 
blackish, with underlying spots, and sometimes large blotches of sienna reddish, or 
reddish chocolate. In some eggs the markings are principally confined to a zone 
near the larger end, and sometimes they are scattered here and there like fly-marks 
over the entire surface: the form is by no means constant, a shortish oval type 
being common, though all gradations may be found between this and a long almond 
or even spindle-shaped type. 
The Greenfinch will pair freely, both in cage and aviary, with the Canary; and 
crosses between it and the common Linnet in a wild state, are probably the most 
frequent and the best authenticated of the numberless well-known wild hybrids 
which have been recorded. In confinement the Greenfinch breeds as readily as a 
Canary, and brings up its young much better, not attempting to pluck them (like 
that foolish bird) after they have left the nest. It is very pugnacious in the 
breeding-season, dashing straight at its opponent like a bull at a gate. 
One year I had a cock Greenfinch in an aviary with a pair of Canaries, and 
of course, the Grosbeak fancied it could easily dispose of its slim opponent, and 
take possession of his wife; so, with a harsh defiant zshwver, it charged blindly at 
him: the Canary took little apparent notice of the Greenfinch until it was within 
a foot or two, then with a graceful little curving flight he alighted on its back, 
and plucked out a beakful of feathers. This manceuvre was successfully repeated 
