90 THE ARCHITECTURE OF BIRDS. 
Within this are thick matted layers of the fine 
wings of certain flying seeds closely laid together : 
and, lastly, the downy substance from the great 
mullein and from the stalks of the common fern 
lines the whole. The base of the nest is continued 
round the stem of the branch, to which it closely 
adheres, and, when viewed from below, appears a 
mere mossy knot or accidental protuberance. ‘The 
eggs are two, pure white, and of equal thickness at 
both ends. Ona person’s approaching their nest the 
little proprietors dart around with a humming sound, 
passing frequently within a few inches of his head; 
and should the young be newly hatched, the female 
will resume her place upon the nest, even while you 
stand within a yard or two of the spot. The precise 
period of incubation I am unable to give; but the 
young are in the habit, a short time before they leave 
the nest, of thrusting their bills into the mouths of 
their parents, and sucking what they have brought 
them. I never could perceive that they carried 
them any animal food, though I think it highly prob- 
able they do. As I have found their nests with 
eggs so late as the 12thof July, I do not doubt but 
that they frequently, and perhaps usually, raise two 
broods in the same season.”* 
But as there would be no end to our enumeration 
of every individual bird which exhibits skill in felting 
together the materials of their nests, we think it 
will be more interesting to our readers to conclude 
this chapter with the lively narrative which Vaillant 
has given of the proceedings of a pair of small Afri- 
can birds. 
This romantic though accurate naturalist had con- 
trived, by tempting titbits, to render the species al- 
luded to, which he calls the Capocier (Sylvia ma- 
croura, LATHAM), so familiar, that a pair of these 
birds regularly entered his tent several times a day, 
* Wilson, Amer. Orinth., ii., 18. 
