BIEDS OF CEYLON WOOD 255 



uncle's at Velikilla, obtained a supply of nuts, hired some geese to 

 carry the heavy bags to the waterside and there embarked with them 

 in the keralla's (woodpecker's) boat. The overloaded boat capsized 

 and both boat and nuts were lost. When the two birds reached the 

 shore, the waterfowl abused the woodpecker for shipping his prop- 

 erty on such a shaky old boat. " But what ", replied the woodpecker, 

 " is your loss to mine ? There are plenty of areca nuts, but where shall 

 I find another such boat?" And so the woodpecker wanders about the 

 world, tapping the trunks of trees, vainly seeking pieces of wood 

 large enough to build another boat. The waterfowl still walks by 

 the waterside crying " kapparakata puwak puwak " (a vessel full of 

 areca nuts, areca nuts). That the geese also suffered is proved by 

 looking at their deformed necks, bent and crooked from carrying 

 heavy bags of nuts. 



There are a number of beautiful wild pigeons in Ceylon, among 

 them the pompadour green pigeon {Treron p. pompadoura) that, by 

 the way, has no cooing call, but a distinct whistle. This beautiful 

 bird is an indigenous species, abundant all over the country. An 

 even more lovely species is the Ceylon green imperial pigeon {Mus- 

 cadivores aenea pudilla) , whose call is a distinct double " coo-cooque." 

 This bird is 16 inchs long and presents an unusual display of color. 



I have made reference in several previous papers to that wonder- 

 ful nest builder, the Indian tailor bird {Orthotomus s. sutorius), a 

 common resident of Ceylon. Since then I have received from the 

 island a number of other examples of the fine sewing, stitching, and 

 suturing these little birds are capable of. I must once more empha- 

 size here that, unlike those of certain nest-making ants, the stitches 

 used by the tailor bird in sewing together so effectively the edges of 

 a leaf or leaves are continuous, just like the plain sewing of the 

 human seamstress. The cornucopea-like nest, which she afterward 

 lines with all sorts of fibers, grass, moss, and cotton, although of 

 delicate structure, often withstands the winds and rains of several 

 seasons. 



