SOME CURIOUS NESTS. 195 



lia, called tlie dicaeum, whicli is a deft weaver. 

 It makes a purselike nest, whieli is suspended 

 from branches and twigs, around wliicli the 

 supporting fibers are wound. The entrance to 

 this dangling little homestead is at the side, 

 from ^\ hich you can see the dainty sitting 

 bird's head projecting. The nest looks as if 

 it were made of white cotton cloth, but is 

 really composed of soft, cottony down gathered 

 from the seed vessels of certain plants. 



No birds build more dainty and beautiful 

 nests than the various species of humming 

 birds. The male carries the material to the 

 site, and the female does the constructing. 

 Lichens are mostly used, and are skillfully 

 braided together, the spaces between the 

 parts being filled with the bird's saliva, which 

 is of viscid quality. The inside is padded 

 with the silky fibers of certain kinds of plants. 

 The sites selected are often quite wonderful ; 

 sometimes the nest is suspended on a leaf, or 

 on the side of a slender branch ; sometimes it 

 is placed on the upper side of a horizontal 

 bough ; then it may be hung on a bundle of 

 rushes, or fastened to the thatched roof of a 

 settler's cottage. 



You have often heard of that skillful little 

 nest maker, the tailor bird. Well does it de- 



