102 THE ARCHITECTURE OF BIRDS. 
such as are taken before the birds have laid their 
eggs. The coarsest are those obtained after the 
young have been fledged. ‘The finest nests are the 
whitest; that is, those taken before the nest has 
been rendered impure by the food and feces of the 
young birds. The best are white, and the inferior 
dark-coloured, streaked with blood, or intermixed 
with feathers. It may be remarked, however, that 
some of the natives describe the purer nests as the 
dwelling of the cock-bird, and always so designate 
themin commerce. Birds’ nests are collected twice 
a year; and, if regularly collected, and no unusual 
injury be offered to the caverns, will produce very 
equally, the quantity being very little, if at all, im- 
proved by the caves being left altogether unmolest- 
ed for a year or ee. Some of the caverns are ex- 
tremely difficult Or access, and the nests can only be 
collected by persons accustomed from their youth to 
the office. The most remarkable and productive 
caves in Java, of which I superintended a moiety 
of the collection for several years, are those of Ka- 
rang-bolang, in the province of Baglen, on the south 
coast of the island. There the caves are only to be 
approached by a perpendicular descent of many 
hundred feet, by ladders of bamboo and ratan, over 
a sea rolling violently against the rocks. When the 
mouth of the cavern.is attained, the perilous office 
of taking the nests must often be performed with 
torchlight, by penetrating into recesses of the rock, 
when the slightest trip would be instantly fatal to 
the adventurers, who see nothing below them but 
the turbulent surf making its way into the chasms 
of the rock. The only preparation which the birds’ 
nests undergo is that of simple drying, without direct 
exposure to the sun, after which they are packed in 
small boxes usually of a picul.* * They are assorted 
for the Chinese market into three kinds, according 
* The picul is about 135 pounds. 
