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THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



some crumbs, and I put him under the 

 rice sieve, and he ate the crumbs and 

 drank some water. After a while it began 

 to want to get out. He would climb up 

 on the seieve just like he does on a tree 

 and han,g head downward, so I thought 

 I had better let him go. I took him out 

 and sure enough he was not slow about 

 flying away. He seemed so very minia- 

 ture that I could hardly think he was a 

 chickadee when I had him in my hands. 



The other day a hawk sat on the wire 

 and I thought it was a robin at first, but 

 when it flew away I could see the differ- 

 ence. It had a red tail, was not much 

 larger than a robin. Now and then I 

 see a little goldfinch flying over." 



We are glad to note this interest in the 

 birds 'by a young girl. It was a kindly 

 deed to care for the chickadee, and also 

 shows good observation to note the differ- 

 ence between a robin and the similar- 

 sized bird, which was doubtless a spar- 

 rowhawk. — H. G. H. 



Peculiar Nest of the Tit-Warbler. 



H. STUART DOVE, M. R. A. O. U., WEST DE- 



VONPORT, TASM.4NIA, AUSTRALIA. 

 (member TASMANIA FIELD NAT. CLUB.) 



To complete the paper on the yellow- 

 tailed tit-warbler sent last month, I 

 should like to describe an extraordi- 

 nary nest of this little bird which I 

 found in a white gum on the bank of 

 the Don River, North-west Tasmania. 



This nest was hung amid the pendul- 

 ous branchlets of the tree in a similar 

 fashion to that recently described, but 

 whereas the nest built in the tree close 

 to my cottage measured 6x4^ inches ; 

 that found at the Don River was 

 a long purse-like structure no less 

 than ten inches in length — a great 

 size, when compared with the dimi- 

 nutive builder. It was constructed 

 of greenish grass, part of which was 

 woven around the twigs to hold it se- 

 curely ; the lining being a copius one of 

 wool and feathers. In the lower part 

 of this purse-like structure was the 

 entrance to the incubation chamber, 

 the aperture being just about large 

 enough to admit one's forefinger. 

 Above this was the opening to a second 

 chamber, — not lined, and again, above 

 this, a third compartment, also unlined ; 

 while to crown all was the open cavity, 

 or so-called "cock's nest" on the sum- 

 mit. 



Onlv the lowest, or lined, chamber 



had been used, and why the others 

 were formed is a mystery. It is not 

 rare for the nest of this species to con- 

 tain one un-lined compartment, but 

 this is the only example I have dis- 

 covered with two besides the "nesting- 

 box." 



Dr. Sharpe, in describing the nest of 

 the South African Penduline Tit, says 

 "towards the upper end of the nest is 

 a funnel-shaped opening, and below 

 this is a distinct little pocket, the use 

 of which is not clearly understood. It 

 is supposed to be the roosting place of 

 the male, for whom, as the nestlings 

 grow, there would be little room in the 

 chamber itself. The little birds are 

 said to draw in the tubular entrance of 

 the nest before they finally go to sleep, 

 and they then fasten it up tightly, so 

 that any enemy, snake or otherwise, on 

 attacking the nest, fumbles about at 

 the pocket, or false entrance while the 

 little birds peck a hole in the back part 

 and escape." 



Some naturalists consider that the 

 false chamber in the structure of our 

 "Acanthiza" is meant to delude the 

 Bronze Cuckoo, which often victimizes 

 this species, but the cuckoo's egg is so 

 seldom found in the "wrong box" that 

 1 cannot hold to this theory. It seems 

 far more likely that these extra com- 

 partments are intended to serve as 

 'over-flow^ rooms' for some of the 

 brood to sleep in when they are getting 

 feathered, and the incubation room is 

 too stuffy for the whole lot. 



It would be interesting if any of 

 your readers who have observed any- 

 thing of the kind would send notes to 

 The Guide to Nature upon the sub- 

 ject, thus possibly shedding light upon 

 this curious habit of our bird. 



A Delight to See and a Joy to Use. 



The C. P. Goerz American Optical 

 Company have recently issued several 

 attractive booklets containing illustra- 

 tions of their cameras and of some of 

 the remarkable results achieved with 

 them. Those that love the outdoor 

 world desire to keep a record of its 

 fleeting scenes. These cameras make 

 that record and do it to perfection. 

 When asking for these booklets will 

 our readers kindly refer to The Guide 

 TO Nature? Especial attention will 

 then be given to the request. 



