THE NUTMEG BIRD 53 



the latter, owing to their less showy plumage, are 

 usually in a minority, they have to be content with 

 outside positions at roosting-time. Sometimes my 

 munias take it into their tiny heads to sleep on a perch 

 which runs across a corner of the cage, and is barely 

 long enough to accommodate them all. There are 

 several other finer and longer perches, but, for some 

 reason or other, they seem to prefer this one. Possibly 

 its breadth is better adapted to the grip of their feet 

 than that of any of the others. I may here say, in 

 parenthesis, for the benefit of those who keep cage 

 birds, that every cage should contain several perches of 

 varying diameter, so as to permit the inmates of the 

 cage the luxury of a change of grip. 



Well, when a dozen birds persist in roosting on a 

 perch intended only to seat ten, at least one of them is 

 unable to find room on the perch, and is obliged either 

 to sleep on the backs of some of his companions or 

 make-believe that he is roosting on the perch. This 

 latter feat is accomplished by the bird clutching hold of 

 the two wires between which the perch passes and 

 maintaining himself at an angle of 45° with the vertical. 

 In this attitude a bird will sometimes sleep ! Of course, 

 its body is in part resting on that of its neighbour, but, 

 allowing for this, a more uncomfortable position is in- 

 conceivable to a human being. The spotted munia, 

 however, seems to find it tolerably comfortable. 



Birds sleep standing, often on one leg. Did this 

 require any appreciable muscular effort on the part of 

 the bird there could be no rest in such an attitude, and 

 the bird would fall off its perch as soon as it went to 



