The Bird's Nest 鸟巢
The Bird's Nest 鸟巢
Her little nest,so soft and warm,
God teaches her to make it；
I would not dare to do her harm,
I would not dare to take it.
How curious is the structure of the nest of the Bullfinch（红腹灰雀）or Chaffinch（苍头燕雀）！The inside of it is lined with cotton and fine silken threads；and the outside cannot be sufficiently admired，though it is composed only of various kinds of fine moss.The color of these mosses，resembling that of the bark of the tree in which the nest is built，proves that the bird intended it should not be easily discovered.In some nests，hair，wool，and rushes are cleverly interwoven.In others，the parts are firmly fastened by a thread，which the bird makes of hemp，wool，hair，or，more commonly，of spiders'webs.Other birds—as，for instance，the blackbird and the lapwing—after they have constructed their nests，plaster the inside with mortar；they then stick upon it，while quite wet，some wool or moss to give warmth；but all alike construct their nests so as to add to their security.
她的小窝又软又暖和，
上帝教她如何把巢筑；
我可不敢把她来伤害，
我也不敢把她带回家。
无论是红腹灰雀，还是苍头燕雀，它们的鸟巢构造实在是太奇特了！里面密密麻麻布满了棉线和细丝线；外面只不过是各种各样的细苔藓，但是其精美程度简直让人叹为观止。鸟巢筑在树上，这些苔藓的颜色接近树皮的颜色，显然，鸟儿们可不想轻易暴露自己的窝。有些鸟巢里，发丝、羊毛和灯芯草被巧妙地编织在一起。还有一些鸟巢的筑巢材料是用一根线紧紧地连在一起的，这根线也许是麻线，也许是羊毛线，也许是发丝，更常见的则是蜘蛛网。还有些鸟，比如山鸟、田凫，筑完巢之后，会在巢的里面抹上一层泥，然后，趁着泥还没干的时候，沾一些羊毛或者苔藓上去，这样利于保温。不过，归根结底，鸟儿们筑巢都是为了安全。
