220 
The Nest of Uie Greij-winged Ouzel. 
of sunlight penetrated thl•ol^gh the thick foliage and fell upon the 
part of the tree where he was standing, and then it was revealed 
to ine that he was on the edge of a cunningly placed nest. 
The trunk of the rhododendron tree bifurcated about 20 
feet above the ground, one limb grew nearly upright, the other 
almost horizontally for a few feet and then broke up into five 
branches or rather gave off four upwardly directed branches, each 
as thick as a man's wrist, and continued its once more horizontal 
direction greatly diminished in size. 
The four upwardly-growing branches took various direc- 
tions, each being considerably twisted, and one actually curling 
round its neighbour. At the junction of the various branches lay 
the nest, resting on a flat surface much as a large shallow pill-box 
might rest in the half-closed palm of a man whose fingers were 
rugged and twisted with long years of hard toil. 
The upper part of the trunk was covered by a thick growth 
of green moss, and from it two or three ferns grew out. 
As the exterior of the nest consisted entirely of green moss 
it blended perfectly with its surroundings. From below it could 
not possil:)ly have l)epn seen. When I caiight sight of it I was 
standing above it at tlie top of tlie ravine, and even there should 
probably have missed seeing it, had not that ray of sunlight fallen 
on the nest and imparted a golden tint to the fawn-coloured i^lum- 
age of the nestlings who almost completely filled the nest-cup. 
The situation of this nest may be said to be typical, for 
although cases are on record of the tiursery of this species being 
found on the ground at the root of a tree, or on ledge of a rock ; 
I think the great majority occur in trees. But few Grey-winged 
Ouzels are so fortunate as to find such a site made by nature. 
They are often compelled to place the nest on the stump of a cut 
tree, and in such cases the shoots which spring up from the stump 
serve to hide the nest from view. The nest is typically a massive 
cup composed exteriorly of moss and lined with dry grass, and 
between the two comes a layer of mud. But no two nests are 
alike, sometimes even the layer of mud is omitted. 
I did not take down the nest of which I am writing, so do 
not know whether it displayed any peculiar features. It was cer- 
tainly composed very largely of moss, and what struck me partic- 
ularly was the thickness of the walls. 
Let us return to the cock Ouzel standing on the edge of his 
