NESTING IN WESTERN INDIA 111 



solid : this opens out into a bulb-like chamber, which is rounded off 

 at the bottom on one side to form the egg compartment, the other 

 side being continued downwards in the form of a tube, or spout, 

 which forms the entrance. At the commencement the birds seem 

 to work independently, but soon after the solid portion is finished 

 the pair work together ; this part varies in length from three to six 

 inches, or even more in length; one bird (I think as a rule the hen) 

 remains inside, the other flies to the nearest clump of sarpat, or 

 other coarse grass, and returns with a long strip in his beak and 

 alighting on the outside of the nest thrusts one end through ; the 

 other bird pulls it tight, and then pushes the end out, which is 

 seized by the bird outside, pulled tight, and again passed through, 

 and so on, until the strip is used up, when it flies off for another. 

 The method of obtaining these strips of grass is simple but inge- 

 nious ; the bird alights upon a stem of coarse grass, bites a notch 

 in a blade, the exact depth required, and then catching hold firmly 

 above the notch flies off, tearing the strip with it ; as the edge is 

 very much serrated, the bird has to consider which end to pass 

 through, and it is this that makes it it so difficult to pull a nest to 

 pieces. 



The nest, when half finished, presents a very curious appearance, 

 because when the birds have reached the part where the egg com- 

 partment is to be, they make a strong transverse loop, on one side of 

 which the entrance tube will be formed, and the egg chamber on the 

 other. 



This has to be made very strong, because it will be used later on 

 by the young brood as a perch. This part of the nest takes a long 

 time to make, the birds being very careful over it, many nests being 

 abandoned at this stage, owing to some imperfection in its construc- 

 tion. If the nest is not properly balanced, and perhaps to assist in 

 steadying it, they stick small lumps of clay on the inside. I have 

 found as much as three ounces in six or seven pieces in a nest, but 

 generally much less than this suffices. To see these pieces of clay 

 properly, a nest should be cut open, and it will be seen that almost 

 as soon as the bulb is commenced, the walls on two opposite sides 

 are thicker than usual, forming the foundation of the transverse 

 bar, becoming gradually thicker as it nears the bottom. If the nest 



