THE TAILOR-BIRD 29 



leaf. If it be a large one, the sides are drawn together 

 and stitched to keep them in situ. Exactly how the 

 sewing is performed and the knot made, I do not know. 

 I have not yet had the good fortune to watch the 

 process, nor do I know any person who has. If no 

 large-leafed plants are available in the selected site, the 

 bird has to content itself with smaller leaves, and it 

 sews two or more of these together. A leaf of tough 

 texture is, of course, a sijie qud non ; one that tears 

 easily would not stand the strain of the weight of a 

 family of young dtirzies. I once came across a nest 

 of which the threads had torn the leaves very badly, 

 and as the youngsters had only just emerged from 

 the eggs, I was afraid they would come to an un- 

 timely end ; but the leaf did hold out, and the chicks 

 went forth into the world with all their little limbs 

 intact. 



The nest, which is thus a kind of purse or pocket, is 

 well lined with cotton or other soft material, and looks 

 remarkably cosy when completed. It is almost invari- 

 ably placed within three feet of the ground, and is 

 usually in the neighbourhood of a human habitation. 



There was a tailor-bird's nest this year in one of the 

 plants outside the verandah of the Grand Stand on the 

 " Island " at Madras. The nests are common enough, 

 but so cunningly are they wrought that they are not 

 easy to find. Last April, a friend of mine was trim- 

 ming his cannas when he noticed that one of the 

 leaves was withering, so cut it off. After he had severed 

 it from the plant, he discovered in it a nearly completed 

 tailor-bird's nest. He then stuck the leaf back into the 



