THE MUSEUM. 



73 



unbroken shell; as he cannot digest it 

 "in this condition and as the muscles of 

 his stomach are not strong enough to 

 break it, he is compelled to strke his 

 body against some hard object or coil 

 himself around them until he breaks 

 the envelope of the egg. 



Our Shrike or Butcher-bird {La)iius 

 ■ cxciibitor) has a bad reputation for im- 

 paling his victims on thorns; this he 

 does because his beak and claws are 

 not strong enough to tear his prey eas- 

 ily. His usual method is to install 

 himself in a comfortable spot, impale 

 his victim on a thorn or pointed branch, 

 and then devour it in threads. The 

 Laniiis Co/lnrio, a nearly allied bird, 

 prepares a small larder before feasting, 

 and one may frequently see a row of 

 victims stuck side by side on thorns — 

 -crickets, beetles, grasshoppers, frogs, 

 and even young birds. 



The Formation of Dwellings. 



Among animals the formation of 

 dwellings more or less elaborate has 

 been noted for many years. One of 

 the most notable of these nests is that 

 of the stickleback, which is woven 

 from grass and alyce, and after the fe- 

 male has laid her eggs the male re- 

 mains near to guard the young fish 

 from marauding enemies. 



Among birds, however, we find the 

 most expert artisans in the art of build- 

 ing dwellings. We may see them at 

 any time in the spring carrying a mor- 

 sel of straw, a hair from a horse's tail, 

 ■or a tuft of wool which has become 

 caught in some bush. The coarser 

 pieces are chosen to make the frame- 

 work, while the finer, softer pieces are 

 reserved to form a lining on the inside. 

 These nests, which lie hidden in the 

 "depth of a thicket, or in a crotch in 



top of a tree, are certainly little master 

 pieces of skill and patience. 



It would seem that the art of sewing 

 was reserved for mankind only, yet 

 there is a bird called very appropriately 

 the Tailor bird, {OrtJiotonuis longian- 

 di(s,) who has solved the difficulty and 

 prepares the most beautiful sewed 

 nests. They place their nests in a 

 single large leaf which they carefully 

 prepare for this purpose. With their 

 beaks they pierce two rows of holes 

 along the two edges of the leaf and 

 then pass a stout thread from one side 

 to the other alternately. With this 

 leaf they form a horn in which they 

 weave their nest with cotton or hair. 

 More wonderful is the fact that the 

 thread used is spun by twisting in its 

 beak spider's webs; bits of cotton, and 

 pieces of wool. Knots have also been 

 found at the ends of the threads. We 

 cannot but admire the animal who has 

 so successfully triumphed over obsta- 

 cles which even perplexed early man. 



Away off in China lives a swallow, 

 who builds his nest of a gelatinous sub- 

 stance formed either of the spawn of 

 fish or the eggs of mollusca or a little 

 sea-moss; this they carry to a perpen- 

 dicular wall or cliff, and apply it to 

 form an arc of a circle. When the 

 first deposit is dry it is increased by 

 sticking on to its edge a new deposit. 

 In this manner the tiny dwelling grad- 

 ually assumes the shape of a cup, which, 

 when completed, receives the builder's 

 eggs. The nests are the famous "Edi- 

 ble birds' nest " so much appreciated 

 by epicures in the extreme East. 



Our common swallow is a most in- 

 interesting mason. In the spring he 

 may be seen working at his nest in the 

 corner of a window. It is usually 

 built in an angle, so that the then ex- 



