116 HANDBOOK OF BRITISH INLAND BIRDS 
of the Wren's and Long-tailed Tit's nests, how- 
ever, it does not seem clearly proved that there is 
any deliberate or definite imitation of the nest's 
surroundings on the part of the Chaffinch that 
builds it. The nest is often covered with lichens 
when it is built in a thorn hedge or a furze-bush, 
when they distinctly make it more conspicuous 
than it would be without them ; and on the other 
hand it is sometimes (though not often) perfectly 
bare of lichens when it is built against a lichen- 
covered trunk or bough. Though no one can fail 
to be struck by the remarkable resemblance to its 
surroundings which the Chaffinch's nest often 
shows, or doubt that this resemblance is likely to 
be of service to the bird by helping to keep the 
nest concealed, it seems to be going too far to 
claim that there is a fixed protective principle here 
at work. Still less is there safe ground for assert- 
ing that the parent Chaffinch consciously arranges 
the resemblance. Four or five is the general 
number of the eggs, which are generally of a clear 
medium brown, sometimes tinged with red, in 
ground-colour, marked not very thickly with spots, 
streaks, and dashes of deep red-brown ; very 
commonly the spots are comma-shaped, or like a 
note, of music, and sometimes there are long intricate 
lines, like those on a Yellow Hammer's egg. Not 
very infrequently, owing probably to some weak- 
