lyi 



got as far as this on one or two occasions, and seeing 

 that perhaps for want of better materials for lining he 

 was putting some bits of grass into the bottom, I 

 thought he had finished and therefore removed the 

 nests that they might find a place in my collection of 

 natural curiosities. The next one was made in 

 precisely the same way. This for some reason or 

 other was allowed to remain in the aviary, and then to 

 my surprise I found that none of the earlier ones had 

 been completed after all, for now that he had the 

 chance the clever architect put on the finishing touch 

 by building a wonderful pent-house or porch of a 

 somewhat triangular shape over the entrance hole. 



All these different stages can be well seen in the 

 photograph, the lowest figure on the left hand side 

 showing the first stage in the structure of the roof as 

 well as the ingenious way in which a single millet 

 stalk was made to do duty as a nest holder. Not less 

 astonishing than the rapidity with which a nest was 

 built — a day and a half or at most two days covering 

 the whole operation — was the human-like method 

 displaj^ed in weaving the bents. Standing on the 

 original bridge or platform the Weaver would push 

 the piece of hay through the side of the nest for 

 perhaps an inch ; then letting go he would fly around 

 to the back, and while hanging on would draw it 

 through, leaving about half an inch projecting on the 

 inside ; the long end being then picked up was next 

 sharpl}^ bent on itself one or two inches from the 

 extremity so that this pointed towards the wall of the 

 nest, through which it was pushed, ready to be pulled 

 taut after the necessary journey to the other side. 

 When after much hopping round and round the whole 

 of the length of hay had been used up the short pro- 

 jecting ends would be neatly tucked in. Whether this 

 was done for the sake of a tidy appearance or to 

 prevent any accident or discomfort it is impossible to 



