File:Birds and their nests and eggs - found in and near great towns (1907) (14569080547).jpg

Identifier: birdstheirnestse00vosg (find matches)
Title: Birds and their nests and eggs : found in and near great towns
Year: 1907 (1900s)
Authors: Vos, George Herklots
Subjects: Birds Birds Birds
Publisher: London : G. Routledge New York : E.P. Dutton.
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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dit would have puzzled any one to get at it.The dead and living branches of a guelder-rose were inextricably mixed up with a maybush. Inside this thicket the hedge-sparrowwe had heard continued to tweet its plain-tive pleading notes. It was just the spot tofind the bird, as it loves concealment, and issolitary in its habits, being seldom seen withanother except at nesting time. Partingthe twigs and looking into the semi-darkness,I caught sight of the hen. She did not seemfrightened. Close by was her nest aboutfour feet from the ground (it is always builtlow). It was a cup-shaped solid structure,large for the size of the bird, and made ofshort dead twigs, the cup being three inchesacross, and lined with horse hair, which waswhite in this instance. A few ends of redskein wool contrasted strongly with thewhite hair. There were four glossy puregreenish-blue eggs in it: five are generallylaid. Some of the cognomens of our littlefriend are hedge-sparrow, as it is very fond MIDDLE OF MAY 113
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Plate XXXIV : * It was a solid structure—lined withhorse hair—and contained four glossy pure greenish-blue eggs. Nest of hedge-sparrow (J size). of a dense hedge, shuffle-wing, because itflutters its wings and tail often, and dun-nock, a local name for it, as in the case ofB.N.—n. I 114 I^ ^^^ OLD DESERTED GARDEX— several other birds. It is called a sparrow,and is sparrow-like in the colour and markingsof its brown and yellowish-brown plumage,but is really first cousin to the warblerand the nightingale. It possesses no song,only uttering the notes that have beenmentioned, but makes up for this deficiencyby an unadorned beauty and gentleness allits own. It has the dark liquid eye of therobin, and somewhat of its expression too.One cannot help falling in love with it atfirst sight. I was very fond of this bird asa boy. When I used to come upon one (in ahedge generally), it would exhibit no signsof alarm, but seemed to regard me as afriend, and remained near me quietly flittingfr

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