Part 14

Rocky coasts are chosen by the Cormorant, which builds an ample nest of sticks, seaweed, and coarse grass on some ledge or shelf of sea cliff. Her eggs number from four to six, of a chalky-white colour, varied with pale blue or greenish tinge, which is really the colour of the proper shell, the white being only a rough coat.

THE CREEPER.

This little bird generally builds its nest in a hollow tree, its materials being fine twigs, dead grass, moss, and feathers, and lays from six to nine eggs of a white ground colour, speckled with red-brown at the larger end, much resembling those of the Willow Wren and Blue Titmouse.

THE TURTLE DOVE.

The eastern and southern counties are the favourite nesting localities of this Dove, which builds a loose nest of sticks and twigs, carelessly thrown together, in a fir, holly, or other bush. The eggs number two, are quite white, and much smaller for the size of the bird than the Ring and Stock Doves.

THE SHORE LARK.

Cold northern climates, like Lapland and Siberia, are chosen by the Shore Lark for breeding places. Its nest is generally situated in some slight hollow on the ground, and is loosely made of grass, with an inner lining of willow-down or hair from the reindeer. Her eggs number three, four, or five, the second figure being the general rule, and are, like those of the Common Lark, liable to variation in colouring. The ground colour is of a brownish or pale green, tinted white, marked with neutral brown spots often so profuse that they cover the greyer spots underlying entirely out.

THE GANNET.

This bird seems to prefer just the opposite course to that which most birds adopt in the breeding season, viz., to congregate in thousands, and breed on precipitous rocks, engaging all ledges and shelves capable of holding a nest, which is composed of seaweed and other rubbish picked up by the bird from the ocean, also grass. One egg only is laid, white or bluish-white when first deposited on the nest, but soon becoming dirty and soiled by being trodden upon. Like the Cormorant, this bird's egg is covered with an incrustation of chalk, hiding the colour of the true shell, which is of a greenish or bluish-white.

THE QUAIL.

Green cornfields are generally the situations chosen by the Quail for a nesting-place, where it selects a small depression in the ground, and tramples a few blades of grass or corn down into it, occasionally a few dead leaves. Her eggs number from seven to even as many as twenty, of a pale yellowish-brown, mottled and clouded or blotched with red or olive-brown; variable both in ground colour and markings.

THE OYSTER-CATCHER.

This bird lays its eggs, which number three or four--three being the general rule--on the bare ground, mostly in slight declivities, taking care that they are above high-water-mark. Sometimes a few bents, pebbles, or broken shells are used as a sort of lining. The eggs are stone or cream colour, of a variety of shades, blotched with dark brown, occasionally streaked and spotted with a lighter hue. The markings are variable in character and position, some being pretty equally distributed over the eggs, whilst others are inclined to form a belt round the larger end.

THE COLE TIT.

Trunks of trees, holes in walls and banks made by rats, moles, or mice, are selected for incubation purposes by this little bird. The nest is built of moss, wool, and hair, and contains from five to eight, or even nine eggs, white, spotted and freckled with light red or red-brown.

THE GUILLEMOT.

The Guillemot makes no nest at all, but deposits its single egg on the ledges of sea-cliffs in a great many places round our coasts. A verbal description of it is almost useless, as the colouring presents such a wonderful variety of tints. The ground colours are white, cream, yellowish-green, blue, reddish-brown, pea-green, purplish-brown, &c. Some are profusely spotted and blotched or streaked with black, black-brown, or grey in great variety; whilst others are scarcely marked at all. Our illustration may be taken as a very good specimen of one kind of colouring and marking, though a very pretty one might be given of an entirely different colour and character.

1. Guillemot. 2. Rock Dove. 3. Dotterel. 4. Marsh Tit. 5. Little Auk. 6. Red-Legged Partridge. 7. Sanderling. 8. Long-tailed Titmouse. 9. Razor-bill. ]

THE ROCK DOVE.

Ledges and fissures or crevices in sea-cliffs are the nesting-places of this bird, which uses sticks, twigs, heath, and dead grass for building purposes. Her eggs are two in number, quite white.

THE DOTTEREL.

Mountain-tops in the North of Scotland are the favourite nesting-places of the Dotterel, which is now becoming comparatively rare in districts where it was once common. It uses no materials for nest-making, simply laying three eggs in a slight cavity amongst woolly-fringe moss or other mountain vegetation which affords some little concealment. The eggs are of a dark cream or olivaceous-brown colour thickly blotched or spotted with dark brown or brownish-black.

THE MARSH TIT.

Holes in trees (generally willows or pollards), banks, &c., are the places adopted by the Marsh Tit for its nest, which is composed of moss, wool, and down from rabbits, or the ripe catkins of willows. Her eggs number from six to eight, or even as many as ten have been found. They are white, spotted with red-brown, more thickly at the larger end.

THE LITTLE AUK.

The rocky shores of Spitzbergen, Greenland, and Iceland form suitable breeding resorts for this bird, which makes no nest, but deposits its single egg on the bare ground in some crevice or under loose rocks. The egg is of a pale greenish-blue, or white tinged with greenish-blue, a little spotted and veined, especially at the larger end, with rust-colour or yellowish-brown. Sometimes the egg has no spots or streaks, at others only indistinctly streaked or veined at the large end.

THE RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE.

This bird makes a slight nest of bents and leaves upon the ground in grass, corn, or clover fields; however, instances have been cited where it has been found at considerable elevation. But this departure from the general rule I have noticed with other birds on rare occasions. Her eggs number from twelve to eighteen, of a yellow-grey or cream colour, marked with red or cinnamon-brown.