appearances finding the greatest pleasure imaginable 

 in the exercise of his architectural ability, and 

 seemingh' quite oblivious of the joys of courtship 

 and marriage. 



Time after time I have watched this bird at work, 

 and have never found his building plans to present 

 any deviation. Taking a hay bent he first of all 

 proceeds to wind and tie it round the millet head with 

 his beak, holding it fast with his feet at the same time. 

 Having thus made one end fast he then in like manner 

 secures the other end to the opposite millet stem. 

 More lengths of hay are treated in the same way 

 until he has fixed enough to warrant their being 

 joined together, so as to make a firm bridge of rope 

 between the two stalks, by means of other bits of hay 

 woven in and out among the original components of 

 the girder. This then forms a secure fotmdation for 

 the subsequent operations and also serves as a 

 scaffolding or platform for the little builder. The 

 next step is to make an archway above this ; here 

 the original idea undergoes some modification, for 

 instead of making a thick rope stretching across, he 

 uses only one or two strands for this purpose, the 

 others being directed backwards and downwards for 

 varying distances and then bent on themselves and 

 brought back and fastened either to the lateral supports 

 or to the arch itself, and being also interwoven at the 

 same time. The roof being thereby accounted for, 

 the sides and back are made by securely fixing the 

 materials to one of the side pillars, weaving them care- 

 fully to the dependent loops of the roof, and then 

 fastening the ends to the other side. In the same way 

 the slightly cup-shaped bottom is then made, and 

 wherever any part of the structure seems thin or 

 weak a piece of hay is used to strengthen it, the 

 result in the end being that the nest feels in the hand 

 like a strong but elastic basket. When my friend had 



