EGGS AND EGG-OOLLECTING. 29 
THE BLACKBIRD. 
Tur Blackbird builds her nest in stone walls, holly bushes, 
hedges, and amongst ivy. It is made with small twigs, 
roots, and cow-dung or clay intermixed, and lined inside 
with very fine slender grass. She has been known to try 
to build on the side of a cliff, where the sticks, &c., would 
not remain, but have fallen down until there was enough 
to make half-a-dozen nests, yet the bird continued to bring 
fresh material. She lays four, five, and rarely six eggs of a 
dull bluish-green, spotted all over with brown blotches. 
THE GREAT TIT. 
Tur eggs of this bird are from six to twelve in number ; 
their colour is white, spotted with a reddish-brown. The 
nest is composed of moss, feathers, and hair, and is situated 
in holes in walls and trees. The bird has been known to 
make these holes herself in the trunk of a tree, working 
with great diligence and rapidity until she had finished. 
THE TEAL. 
Tux Teal builds its nest where rushes are abundant, chiefly 
on marshes in Scotland and the north of England. The 
nest is composed of large quantities of dried sedges, flags, 
and other water plants, and is lined with feathers. The 
bird lays eight or ten eggs, which are buffish or creamy- 
white, sometimes faintly tinged with green. 
THE NUTHATCH. 
Tas bird lays from five to seven eggs in number, of a 
pure white spotted with red-brown. ‘They are very often 
mistaken for the eggs of the Great Titmouse. The nest 
