black-bird. 
I 
T/je Time and Manner of the Black-Bird’s build* 
ing her Nejl, c. 
This bird, as I obferved before, breeds very 
foon in the year, and has young ones by the end 
•of March, or fooner : fhe builds her neft very 
artificially ; the outfide of mofis, Bender twigs, 
bents, and fibres of roots, all very ftrongly ce- 
mented and joined together with clay; plaster- 
ing the infide alfo, and lining it with a covering 
of final! draws, bents, hair, or other foft mat- 
ter ; upon which fhe lays four or five eggs, fel- 
dom more, of a bluiili green colour, full of 
duiky fpots. She builds pretty open, generally 
in a hedge, near the ground, and before there 
are many leaves upon the bullies ; which fo ex- 
poles her neft, confidering the iargenefs of it, 
that it may be ealily difeovered. 
The cavity of a complete neft I meafured 
was two inches and an half deep ; diameter at 
the top, four inches one way, and five the 
other, being of an oblong figure : it weighed 
thirteen ounces : the bird itfelf is in length, 
from the tip of the bill to the end of the tail, 
eleven inches, of which the bill is one inch, and 
the tail four inches loirs'. 
o 
