CHAPTER XXVIII. 
FEATHERED BRANCH-BUILDERS. 
The Rook and its nesting-place — Materials and structure of the nest — Some 
habits of the Rook — The Crow — Difference between the nest of the Rook 
and the Crow — The Heron and its mode of nidification — The Heronry at 
Walton Hall — Rustic ideas respecting the Heron’s nest — The Chaffinch — 
Locality and structure of its beautiful nest — Mode of obtaining materials — - 
The Goldfinch and its home — Distinction between the nests of the Gold- 
finch and Chaffinch— The Bullfinch — Locality and form of its nest — Vari- 
ability of Structure — The Golden Oriole and its beautiful nest — Mode of 
catching the Bird — The Yellow-breasted Chat and its odd ways — Its 
courage and affection for its nest and young — Structure of its nest — The 
Ringdove and its curious nest — The Mocking Bird — The Water-hen 
and its nesting — Its habit of covering the eggs. 
We pass now to the many birds which build their nests on 
branches of trees or shrubs, and which may therefrom be 
termed Aerial Builders. A vast proportion of the feathered 
tribes select branches as a site for their habitation, so that only 
the remarkable examples will be mentioned. 
Perhaps the most conspicuous of all ordinary branch-nests 
are those which are made by the Rooks and the Crows. 
Every one has seen the nests of the former of these two 
birds. They are large, dark, and are placed upon the topmost 
boughs of the tree, so that they can be seen at a considerable 
distance. Their position is evidently intended as a safeguard 
against the attacks of various enemies, among which the bird- 
nesting boy is pre-eminently the most dangerous. Scarcely 
would the boughs endure the weight of a cat or monkey, and 
so slender are they in many cases, that the spectator wonders 
how they can support the nest with its living contents of a 
parent and three or four young. 
