ON THE OKNITHOLOGY OF LAPLAND. 309 



builds its nest out on the branch. The old female 

 was very silent, and by no means shy. The male 

 was red. In all, I found five nests, of which two 

 had four eggs (which I take to be the full number, 

 although, as the crossbills, they appear to sit 

 sometimes on three), and two had young. The 

 nest is neither large nor deep, but very compactly 

 and cleanly built like basket-work, the outside 

 walling of very fine fir branches and thin cranberry 

 fibres tightly interlaced, lined with fine stiff grass 

 and a little hair. The eggs vary much, both in 

 size and colouring, but are usually about the size 

 of those of the hawfinch, but a little thinner, pale 

 blue-green ground, blotched and fined with light 

 purple and dark burnt-umber spots and pricks, 

 always thickest towards the large end; average 

 size 1 inch by f . The nest is very neat and strong 

 without being pretty, and very different from the 

 warm nest of the Siberian jay or great shrike, or 

 the thick mossy nest of the waxwing. Morris's 

 figure, taken from Thieneman, although not 

 correct, nevertheless gives an idea of this egg. 

 He says the nest is lined with feathers — there was 

 not a single feather in either of the five nests which 

 I saw. 



I think the nest and eggs of the pine grosbeak 

 one of the neatest and finest which we took in 

 Lapland. 



