194 NEWS FROM THE BIRDS. 



tame, often coming near human residences to 

 build their nests. They work rapidly, some- 

 times beginning and completing their nests in 

 two days. 



Another fine architect among birds is the 

 fairy martin — also a worker in clay like the 

 bird just named. It kneads its mortar through 

 its bill, mixing it wdth its own saliva so as to give 

 it a soft and sticky character. This kneading 

 is done before the clay is carried to the nest. 

 It is said that six or seven birds will work at 

 one time at a single nest without getting into 

 a jangle, one of them remaining at the nest as 

 builder while the rest act as hodcarriers, 

 bringing the building material as fast as she 

 needs it. When the weather is dry they work 

 at their nests only in the morning and evening, 

 because during the remainder of the day the 

 sun is so hot that it dries the mortar too 

 rapidly to be kneaded wdth ease. The out- 

 side of the nest is quite rough, but the interior 

 is very smooth, lined with feathers and fine 

 grass. It is made in the shape of a flask, the 

 larger end being fastened to a wall while the 

 body of it extends outward, and is often bent 

 slightly downward, the opening being at the 

 smaller end. 



There is a rare little bird in far-off Austra- 



