222 BIRDS OF THE PLAINS 



a nest so like that of the world-famous tailor as to be 

 almost indistinguishable from it. Some authorities 

 declare that the two nests are distinguishable. They 

 assert that the nest of OrtJiotonms is invariably lined with 

 some soft substance, such as cotton-wool, the silky down 

 of the cotton tree, soft horse-hair, or even human hair, 

 while that of the species of which we are speaking is 

 lined with grass or roots. This distinction does not, 

 however, invariably hold. I have seen nests of this 

 species which have been lined with cotton-wool. 



This bird is known to ornithologists as the ashy 

 wren- warbler {Prinia socialis). Anglo-Indian boys call 

 it the tom-tit. It is a dark ashy-grey bird, with the 

 sides of the head and neck and the whole of the lower 

 plumage buff. There is a tinge of rufous in the wings 

 and tail. It is most easily distinguished by the loud 

 snapping noise it makes during flight. How this noise 

 is produced we do not know for certain. Reid was of 

 opinion that the bird snapped its long tail. What exactly 

 this means I do not know. Jesse believes that the 

 sound is produced by the bird's mandibles. I have 

 spent much time in watching the bird, and am inclined 

 to think that the noise is caused by the beating of the 

 wings against the tail. This last is constantly being 

 wagged and jerked, and it seems to me that the wings 

 beat against it as the bird flits about. When doves and 

 pigeons fly, their wings frequently meet, causing a 

 flapping sound. I am of opinion that something similar 

 occurs when the ashy wren-warbler takes to its wings. 



Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about this bird 

 is the well-authenticated fact that it builds two types of 



