THE CAPOCIER. 93 
scribed recurred. I have witnessed eight interrup- 
tions of this kind in one morning. How happy birds 
are! They are certainly the privileged creatures 
of nature, thus to work and sport alternately as 
fancy prompts them. 
““On the third day the birds began to rear the 
side walls of the nest, after having rendered the 
bottom compact by repeatedly pressing the materi- 
als with their breasts, and turning themselves round 
upon them in all directions. They first formed a 
plain border, which they afterward trimmed, and 
upon this they piled up tufts of cotton, which was 
felted into the structure by beating and pressing with 
their breasts and the shoulders of their wings, taking 
care to arrange any projecting corner with their 
beaks so as to interlace it into the tissue and ren- 
der it more firm. 'The contiguous branches of the 
bush were enveloped, as the work proceeded, in the 
side walls, but without deranging the circular cavity 
ofthe interior. This part of the nest required many 
materials, so that I was quite astonished at the 
quantity which they used. 
“On the seventh day their task was finished ; and, 
anxious to examine the interior, I determined to in- 
troduce my finger, when I felt an egg that had prob- 
ably been laid that morning, for on the previous 
evening I could see there was no egg in it, as it was 
not quite covered in. This beautiful edifice, which 
was as white as snow, was nine inches in height on 
the outside, while in the inside it was not more than 
five. Its external form was very irregular on ac- 
count of the branches which it had been found ne- 
cessary to enclose; but the inside exactly resem- 
bled a pullet’s egg placed with the small end up- 
ward. Its greatest diameter was five inches, and 
the smallest four. The entrance was two thirds of 
the whole height, as seen on the outside; but within 
it almost reached the arch of the ceiling above. 
“The interior of this nest was so neatly worked 
