I06 SOME BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA 



of attitudes to enable him to catch hold of it from the 

 Other side, when he pulls it through, after the manner 

 of sewing- with a needle and cotton. 



The foundations for both portions of the nest are 

 done in much the same way, several long ends of grass 

 being left out at each side of the ring and then fastened 

 into the ring again, thus making loops which act as 

 supports for the bulb at either side of the nest ; other 

 strands are then woven on to this framework. The 

 bird seemed to bring a nest into a fair semblance of 

 itself in about a couple of days, but after that it 

 worked at it for a long time, patching it up and 

 strengthening it. The male birds constructed the whole 

 of the nests during the time that I watched them, and 

 made a great fuss over the operation, bestowing praise 

 loudly and unceasingly upon themselves as they hurried 

 to and from the nests, of which there would often be 

 ten or twenty in the same tree. These, when first 

 woven, are green, but this colour soon changes after 

 they have been hanging for a few days. When the 

 nests are beginning to assume finished proportions the 

 birds go inside and do some work from the interior, or 

 hang in a horizontal position from the opening of the 

 nests and critically examine their work, holding their 

 heads back the while, in much the same way as an 

 artist would retire from a picture he was painting, to 

 enable him to view it to better purpose. The female 

 birds were placed in rather an awkward position, they 

 were evidently anxious to assist, but were on no condi- 

 tions allowed to ; they had to strike a mean ; if they 

 attempted to help they were imniediately driven away, 

 with two or three sharp tweaks on the head, to drive 



