BIRDS OF OUR BUSH 



the bird's skill is employed. The picture appearing on 

 page 87 shows clearly the character of this wonderful struc- 

 ture. It is built, like the home of the Welcome Swallow, 

 of mud collected and placed in position by the bill. One 

 marvels at the manner in which the nest of the Welcome 

 Swallow retains its position against a perpendicular wall, 

 but that phenomenon is commonplace as compared with 

 the manner in which the mud home of the Bottle Swallow 

 remains secure through wind and weather and carries the 

 strain placed upon it when four fully grown young birds 

 occupy its cosy interior. The Fairy Martin also uses grass 

 stems and the like to bind the mud, but appears to be too 

 tidy and thorough to allow any ends to show when the nest 

 is complete. Both the Welcome Swallow and this species 

 commence their nest with a crescent of mud foundation, 

 upon which the rest is gradually built up. In the picture 

 of Fairy Martins' nests one of these crescents, abandoned 

 evidently, may be seen. 



The Fairy Martins are remarkable in still another way. 

 Their nests are built close together in groups often much 

 larger than that photographed. Sometimes there are hun- 

 dreds of these homes together in some little cave or niche 

 in a wall of rock. It is also said that a company of these 

 birds club together when nest-building begins, and con- 

 struct, by common effort, enough nests for the whole flock. 

 Perhaps the presence of unfinished nests, such as the one 

 already referred to, can be accounted for by the too hasty 

 action of the flock of birds and a subsequent discovery that 

 there is one foundation too many. Our actual experience 

 of the bird is small, thanks to the action of boys, who, in the 

 Greensborough district, at any rate, never allow young 

 birds to appear in the nests. It is quite evident that the 

 Fairy Martin does not enjoy the immunity from interfer- 

 ence that the Welcome Swallow did in our day. We have, 

 moreover, had no opportunity of investigating the correct- 

 ness or otherwise, of the general belief as to their method 

 of home building. 



Nests of the species we have found in October and later. 

 The usual clutch of eggs is three or four, and in appearance 

 they resemble those of the Welcome Swallow. 



Our experience of the Finches, or, more correctly. Grass 

 Finches, in the wild state has been limited, partly because 

 there are really only two species found within the range of 



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