﻿ITS 



OX THE CLASSIFICATION OF BIRDS. 



(153.) In regard to solitary builders, we find all the 

 purely insectivorous genera are of this class. Among 

 the shrikes, thrushes, warblers, titmice, and fly-catchers, 

 there is not an instance of one species either living or 

 building in societies. The same may be said of car- 

 nivorous quadrupeds, which, with the single exception 

 of the genus Canis*, pursue their sanguinary habits 

 alone, or accompanied only by their mates. In pro- 

 portion to the development of the social principle is 

 the disposition, not only to live, but to breed in so- 

 cieties ; but neither one or the other is manifested in 

 the birds we have just mentioned, at least to any extent. 

 Fieldfares, it is true, are seen congregated into loose 

 flocks towards autumn, and the long-tailed titmice 

 form small parties, probably family ones, at the same 

 season, but neither are known to build together. 



(154.) To describe the construction of an ordinary nest 

 would be superfluo as ; the coarsest materials are always 

 used in the first instance, as if to form the basis of the 

 whole, and as the building proceeds, finer materials are 

 selected ; last of all comes the lining, which is generally 

 composed of hairs, or some other elastic substance, to pre- 

 serve the form of the concavity, and with feathers to 

 create additional warmth : for an arboreal nest of this 

 description a firm support is necessary ; hence it is gene- 

 rally placed between the forked branches of a tree : this 

 answers many purposes; the nest is not liable to be 

 shaken by the wind, its base is firm, and being, as it 

 were, in the centre of the foliage, it is more effectually 

 screened from observation. Numerous instances of this 

 sort of nest occur among our insectivorous and graniv- 

 orous small birds ; the most delicate of these are made 

 by the chaffinch and the goldfinch. Variations from 

 the structure and situation of these are seen in the nests 

 of sparrows and fly-catchers, where the materials are 

 coarser, and the fabric placed on the side of a building. 

 The hedge accentor, again, builds near the ground, and 



* This comprehends the wolves, dogs, foxes, and hyaena-dogs. See 

 Classification of Quadrupeds. 



