This beautiful little bird builds a nest of the first rank in point of constructive skill and neatness. Though it breeds at a surprisingly rapid rate, it is a regrettable fact to learn that its numbers are gradually becoming smaller in this country, and mainly through the profit its capture affords. Despite being much harassed by the bird-catching fraternity to supply the demand for it as a cage pet, if not actually approving of confinement, it seems to prefer the close proximity of man, often selecting as a nesting situation gardens and orchards, and has even been known to build in rose-bushes and other trees trained against a dwelling-house. The nest is composed of moss, a little hay and wool, lined with seed-down of the willow and hair neatly woven together. The eggs are four or five in number; white tinged with blue, and spotted at the larger end with raw sienna. THE MAGPIE. The Magpie builds her nest on the tops of very tall trees, but it has sometimes been found in comparatively small bushes. It is large, domed, and almost spherical in shape, composed of brambles, thorny sticks, clay, and finer sticks, and lined inside with dead grass and fibrous roots; it has a hole on the side. She lays six or seven eggs of a dirty light blue, spotted with yellowish-brown all over. THE BULLFINCH. This bird lays four or five eggs of a pale blue colour, spotted and streaked with raw sienna, brown, or purple. The nest is made of twigs and fibrous roots, and lined with horsehair; it is situated in thick garden and other hedges. The female sits very close, so that she may even be touched without leaving the nest. THE STARLING. The Starling makes her nest of hay, straw, and fibrous roots; her favourite haunts are the gable-ends of old houses, cliffs, and hollow trees. She lays four or five eggs of a beautiful light blue, tinged with green. If she is left undisturbed, she will use the same nest for several years, with a little repairing each spring. She is very affectionate to her young, and works in hearty co-operation with her mate to procure them food, which is an enormous quantity in the course of a day. THE CHAFFINCH. The Chaffinch generally builds her nest in the forks of trees covered with lichens; it is made of moss, wool, and lichen, the inside being lined with hair and feathers. She makes a beautiful nest, small but deep, and it harmonizes so much with its situation that it is often difficult to find. She lays four or five eggs of a grayish-blue, spotted and streaked with a dirty purple-red. She sits very close, in fact I once knew a bird remain on her nest till a mischievous boy caught her by the tail, pulling it out as she rose to fly; and she returned and reared her young after that. THE RAVEN.