30 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



L 



NESTS AND EGGS OF OUR 

 COMMON BIRDS. 



By S. L. 'Mosley. 



WARBLERS. 



The Wheatear is a larger bird than theWhinchat or 

 Stonechat, and may be known by its white rump. 

 It builds its nest in an old stone wall, where the 

 ground is level with the wall top on one side ; 

 sometimes it is placed among heaps of stones, and 

 is composed of moss, dry bents, wool or feathers. 

 The eggs are pale blue, not so dark as those of 

 the Hedge-sparrow. The Grasshopper Warbler, so 

 called from its note resembling that of a grass- 

 hopper, is not rare, though not so common as the 

 last two species. It frequents woods and planta- 

 tions, and places its nest at the bottom of a bush. 

 It is difficult to find, as the bird does not go straight 

 to or from the nest, but has a run, sometimes of a 

 few yards. It is composed of grass, with finer 

 grass for the lining, and sometimes six or seven 

 eggs are laid, of a pinkish grey, finely and thickly 

 spotted with purple and red spots. The Sedge 

 Warbler is a commoner bird, seeking ledges at the 

 sides of ponds and streams. The nest which is 

 rather loosely composed of coarse grass lined with 

 finer grass and hair, is placed very near the ground. 

 The eggs are greenish drab, sometimes with a few 

 black streaks at the larger end. The Reed Wren 

 is a similar bird, but suspends its nest among the 

 reeds, two or three reeds are generally interwoven in 

 the nest for support, the materials used in its con- 

 struction are dried stems of grasses and flower 

 Stalks of the reed, sometimes with a little wool 

 inside. The ground color of the eggs is greenish 

 white, with olive green and brown blotches. 

 Those who live in the south of England may have 

 an opportunity of finding the nest of the Night- 

 ingale. It should be looked for on dry banks in 

 woods which the bird is known to frequent, and 

 is composed almost entirely of dry leaves, with a 

 little fine grass inside. The eggs are uniform dark 

 olive-brown. The nests and eggs of the Garden 

 Warbler and the Blackcap are very much alike, 

 both their nests are placed in a bunch of herbage, 

 often between the fronds of a large fern and 



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are loosely made of dry grass. Both their 

 eggs are whiteish, with green-brown shades 

 and markings, but those of the Garden Warbler 

 show more of the ground colour, and the mark- 

 ings are more in the form of spots, while those 

 of the Black-cap have the ground colour nearly, 

 obscured by cloudy markings, and often have a 

 reddish tint. The male Black-cap may be known., 

 by its having the top of the head black, while 

 that of the female is brown. The Comm a1 White- 

 throat is well known, building a loose nest of small 

 stems of grass and a little hair among herbage, or 

 in a low bush not far from the ground. The eggs^. 

 vary much, but are generally greenish white, 

 spotted, mostly at the large end, with yellowish ^ 

 brown, gray, or green. The Lesser W r hite-throat is 

 not so common and I never found the nest, but it 

 is said to be similar to that of the common specie 

 and the eggs are similar (but smaller) to those ol 

 the Garden Warbler, but have a more highly 

 polished surface. The nest of the Wood Wren is|L. .. 

 placed on the ground and is composed of drj^ 

 grass, with a little moss and horsehair, and some J* ■ 

 times a feather or two. The eggs are white widjL 

 numerous dark purple spots, chiefly at the larg^ 

 end. The willow wren is much commoner anditj' 

 nest may be found in hedge banks and steep place; 

 in woods, always on the ground, composed c;T 

 grass and a thick lining of feathers. The eggs ar 

 white spotted with red, sometimes the spots ar 

 small and numerous, at others large and few, bu 

 frequently of moderate size, principally at the larg 

 end. The Chiff-chaff is the smallest of the Britis 

 warblers, being similar to the last but less ; its not 

 however is very different, seeming to say chif 

 chaff, chiff-chaff. The nest is similar to that <i 

 the Willow Wren, but there are even more feathe 

 inside. The eggs are white with a few purp 

 spots, about eighteen or twenty on one egg. 



The Golden-crested Wren is the smallest Briti: 

 bird and is not rare. It breeds in fir plantatio: 

 suspending its nest from a branch of the fir ; it 

 composed of moss and lichen with feathers insi 

 and from six to ten eggs are laid, of a pale r 

 drab. 



TITMICE. 



The Great Tit is the largest of the- Britij 

 species, building its nest in holes in trees or wal 

 The nest is composed of moss, feathers, Sec, 

 the eggs are white with a few red-brown spol 



