miNiA. 



29: 



of them of a strangely different type. One was inside a tiny hut 

 on the line, about 3" feet above the head of the chaprassie's bed. 

 It had no leaves about it, and was composed of thread, wool, and a 

 few very fine grass-stems, and lined thinly with fine grass-stems 

 and a little black horsehair. It was about two thirds of a sphere, 

 the external diameter of which was about 85 inches, and the 

 internal 2| inches. The bird ^vas on the nest, so that there could 

 be no mistake, otherwise it would have been impossible to believe 

 that it belonged to P. steivarti, of whicli we have taken so many 

 sewn in leaves. A little further on another nest of the same 

 species, built in the ragged eaves of a thatch, externally composed 

 almost entirely of cotton-wool, witli a little tow-fibre binding the 

 structure together, internally as usual lined with very fine grass- 

 roots with a few horsehairs. Another nest of the Frinia was in 

 one respect even more remarkable. It w^as built in the usual situ- 

 ation in a low herbaceous plant, sewn to and suspended from two 

 leaves, and two or three others \^ orked into its sides. It was con- 

 structed almost entirely of fine grass-roots and fibres, with a few 

 tiny tufts of cotton-wool, aud the leaves as usual firmly tacked on 

 with threads and cobweb fibres. It would seem that, after con- 

 structing the nest, but before laying, a large female spider took 

 possession of the bottom of the nest, and shut herself in by con- 

 structing a diaphragm of web horizontally across the nest, thus 

 occuping the whole of the cavity of the nest. The little bird 

 accepted this change of circumstances, built the nest a little higher 

 at the sides, and over the spider s web placed a false bottom of fine 

 grass-roots, on which she laid her four eggs, and there she vas 

 sitting when the nest was taken, the spider, alive and apparently 

 happy in the cell below, plainly visible through the interstices of 

 the grass, with a huge sac of eggs which she was incubating. Her 

 chamber is fully one half of the nest." 



I may add that this latter nest, with the now dead spider, hi situ, 

 is still in our museum. 



Ill number the eggs are sometimes four, sometimes five, and I 

 have heard of six being found. 



They rear usually two broods ; if their eggs are taken they will 

 lay three or four sets ; sometimes they use the same nest t\\ ice ; 

 sometimes, directly the fu'st brood is at all able to shift for them- 

 selves, the parents leave them in the old nest, and commence 

 building a new one at no great distance. 



The late Mr. A. Anderson remarked : — " Owing to the incle-- 

 niency of the weather (August) the geranium-pots in the garden 

 were placed in the verandah of the house I am at present living in, 

 and, strange to say, a pair of these Warblers commenced building 

 in the leaves of one of the plants immediately under my window. 



" When the nest was about half-finished the birds forsook it 

 without apparently any reason, as they were never molested in 

 any way. On examining the nest, however, the cause was evident, 

 and afforded a remar]<able instance of instinct on the part of the 

 little architects. The leaves that had been pierced and sewn 



