Bird's Nests

Bird’s Nests
 
The skylark’s nest among the grass
     And waving corn is found;
The robin’s on a shady bank,
     With oak-leaves strewed around.
 
The wren builds in an ivied thorn
     Or old and ruined wall;
The mossy nest, so covered in,
     You scarce can see at all.
 
The martins build their nests of clay
     In rows beneath the eaves;
The silvery lichens, moss, and hair
     The chaffinch interweaves.
 
The cuckoo makes no nest at all,
     But through the wood she strays
Until she finds one snug and warm,
     And there her legs she lays.
 
The sparrow has a nest of hay,
     With feathers warmly lined;
The ring-dove’s careless nest of sticks
     On lofty trees we find.
 
Rooks build together in a wood,
     And often disagree;
The owl will build inside a barn
     Or in a hollow tree.
 
The blackbird’s nest of grass and mud
     In bush and bank is found;
The lapwing’s darkly-spotted eggs
     Are laid upon the ground.
 
The magpie’s nest is made with thorns
     In leafless tree or hedge;
The wild-duck and the water-hen
     Build by the water’s edge.
 
By M. S. C.