36 Bird-Song: and New Zealand Song Birds 
the other were warm, so that two birds must have been sitting 
at the same time. 
A linnet s double nest, with eggs in both cups, was also found 
in a macrocarpa pine at Papakura, Auckland. It is composed 
of fine roots, bents, and blades of grass; black and white horse¬ 
hairs; down, feathers; and thistledown in large quantities the 
seed still on much of it, as if a whole head had been plundered 
Brown, grey, and green lichens and mosses are woven in round 
the rim. The cup is lined with horsehair, thistledown, and 
small feathers. The measurements areInside of cup, in 
across, 2 in. deep; whole nest, outside, cup 4 in. across' 6 1 in. 
across the two nests; height 3i in.; angle made by slope’ of the 
two cups, 138°. 
Yet another curious thrush’s nest was found in the 1921 season 
at Wairoa South, near Auckland. The cup is lined with clay 
and droppings, but has no wood in it, so is dark-coloured like a 
coconut-shell. The building of this nest was observed. Three 
eggs were laid, and these for some reason became cold. The 
biid then put a second lining into the cup, partially, but not 
quite, covering the three eggs, and four eggs were laid in the 
new cup. Possibly the female that laid the three eggs was 
killed, and on the male taking another mate the second lining 
was put in and the second lot of eggs laid. The nest had all 
the eggs in both parts when taken, but unfortunately they were 
late i destroyed by rats, so only the holes occupied by the eggs 
can be seen in the illustration. Several nests of this kind have 
sime been found, also nests built one on top of the other, as 
many as five nests being thus cupped into the first one built, one 
abo^e another. One nest with double lining shews an extra- 
ordinaiy clutch of eggs, varying very much in size, in shade of 
ground-colour, and in speckling,—two being quite without 
marks of any kind. An embedded egg of the first nest is also 
seen. 
A blackbird s double nest has been reported from Kotuku, 
estland, but it has not been seen by me. 
The habits of thrushes and blackbirds seem to be changing 
leie in New Zealand; at any rate, eccentricities have been 
