EGGS.
1. Spotted Fly-catcher. 2. Tree Sparrow. 3. Brambling.
4. Whinchat. 5. Scoter. 6. Grey Wagtail.
7. Smew. 8. Black-headed Bunting.
9. Great Spotted Woodpecker.
THE SPOTTED FLY-CATCHER.
Many curious positions for rearing a family have been chosen by the Spotted Fly-catcher, but its nest is generally found in trees which are trained against walls, barns, tool and summer houses. It is composed of a diversity of material, and no fixed rule seems to be adhered to—bents, straws, moss new and old, hairs, feathers, &c. The eggs number four, five, or even six, of a grey-white spotted with faint red; sometimes, but rarely, pale blue, unspotted. The ground colour varies from grey or bluish-white to pea-green, the markings also being in various shades, clouded, spotted, and blotched with faint red or reddish-brown.
THE TREE SPARROW.
Holes in pollard and other trees are chosen as desirable situations by this bird for perpetuating its race, and sometimes in the thatches of old barns along with the Common House Sparrow. Its nest is very similar to that of its more widely-distributed and better-known kinsman, viz., of hay, dry grass, and straw, with a liberal lining of nice warm feathers. The eggs generally number four or five, of a grey colour, thickly spotted with umber-brown or darker grey, sometimes white with grey spots or blotches, and may be described, like the Common Sparrow's, as variable.
THE BRAMBLING.