220 



Pendulous Nests of 



extraordinary strength. The nest is suspended as repre- 

 sented in the sketch : if from a palm, from the tip of a frond ; 

 and, if from any other tree, from the extremity of a slender 

 branch, those overhanging water being always preferred. It 

 will be seen by the section (b) that it consists of only one 

 chamber, with a long tubular passage leading to it; and I 

 am at a loss to imagine what could have given rise to the idea 

 of two or three separate apartments, unless, indeed, it may 

 have been a hasty glance at the half-finished nests : new ones 

 are never added to the old. 1 have often heard, from natives of 

 India, of the baya's lighting up its nest with fire-flies, but never 

 myself had an opportunity of noticing it. The pipe forming 

 the entrance is seldom so long as here represented : it often 

 does not pass the bottom of the nest more than three or four 

 inches, and the mouth, or extremity, is always left in an appa- 

 rently unfinished state. The baya lays from four to six white 

 eggs (e, natural size). For what reason I know not, many 

 nests are always left unfinished, as in c and d. Bayas seem 

 to be of a very social disposition ; numbers build on the 

 same tree, or on neighbouring trees, and sing in concert 

 during the breeding season, with a very pleasing effect, though 

 there is no variety in their notes. The nests do not seem to 



