142 THE STORY OF BIRD-LIFE. 



strip of grass tears off and stops at the notch, 

 lie then flies away with the grass streaming 

 behind him. As the edge of the grass is much 

 serrated, the bird has to consider and pass it 

 through the right way." 



The nests of the penduline-tit or cotton-bird 

 of South Africa, Dr Sharpe remarks, "are so 

 extraordinary that they could hardly be believed 

 to be the work of a bird at all. On handling 

 one of their nests it feels as if it were made of 

 the finest felt carpet, and how the birds contrive 

 to weave it out of cotton and seed-down is a 

 mystery. Towards the upper end of the nest 

 is a funnel-shaped opening, and below this is 

 a distinct little pocket, the use of which is not 

 clearly understood, though ... it is supposed 

 to be a roosting-place for the male, for whom, 

 as the nestlings grow larger, there would be 

 no room in the nest itself. The little birds 

 are said to draw in the tubular entrance of the 

 nest before they finally go to sleep, and they 

 then fasten it up tightly, so that any enemy, 

 snake or otherwise, on attacking the nest, fumbles 

 about at the pocket or false entrance, while the 

 little birds peck a hole in the back part and 

 escane." 



Birds, for the most part, become very secret- 

 ive concerning their nests. When not altogether 

 hidden from view these are placed high up out of 

 reach, or on the faces of precipitous cliffs, and 

 so are inaccessible. Sometimes, however, no 

 attempt at isolation or concealment is made, 

 and the birds breed in colonies. Examples of 

 such are furnished amongst British birds hy 



