THEIR FIRST YEAR’S MARRIED LIFE. 17 
place it on the ground. Brown, not to appear 
eccentric, and because his parent nest was in ^ 
a similar position, determined to build on the 
ground, and so the bringing of materials and 
adjusting them into a commodious structure 
was fairly commenced. 
First, there was collected a large number- of 
dead twigs and dry leaves, which were adjusted 
into a compact pile, and slightly interwoven 
together ; on these were placed finer twigs 
and pieces of vines, which were twined together 
pretty strongly ; in this form the sides of the 
nest were carried up and finished, leaving in 
the middle a hollow of three or four inches in 
diameter, and about two in depth ; this was 
to be the apartment in which the family of 
young Thrushes, if they were blessed with 
such, was to be reared. It was carefully ar- 
ranged, and lined with fine roots and pieces 
of soft grape-vine bark, and horse-hairs, which 
were all intertwined into the sides of the 
structure with great care and neatness. 
Thus was the house built and furnished, 
for with the soft bed formed of the fine roots 
2 
