which conjlruEls eatable NtJIs. 1 21 



of fea plants*, as has been afferted. This feems the more 

 probable, as it is known, from experience, that thofe birds 

 which build their nefts in the two rocks before mentioned 

 have never been found on the fea-coaft, and could not pof- 

 fibly fly thither and return again in fo few hours, on account 

 of the high intervening mountains, and the ftormy winds 

 that often prevail among them. The great difference in the 

 colour and value of thefe nefts proves that their goodnefs 

 depends merely on the fuperabundance and quality of the 

 infefts on which they feed, and perhaps on the greater or 

 lefs folitude of the place where they feek for nourifhment. 

 Thofe found on the territory of Calappa Nongal and Goa- 

 gadja are exceedingly grey, and worth one third lefs than 

 thofe produced in the territory of Sampia ; and the latter 

 again are not to be compared with an excellent fort which 

 are every year imported from Ternate and Paflier, or which 

 are to be found on the furrounding iflands, particularly to 

 the eaft of Borneo. 



Thefe birds employ two months in preparing their nefts; 

 they then lay their eggs, on which they fit for fifteen or 

 fixteen days. As foon as the young are fledged, people 

 begin to collect the nefts, which is done regularly every 

 four months ; and this forms the harveft of the proprietors 

 of thefe rocks. 



The bufinefs of taking down the nefts is performed by 

 men accuftomed from their youth to climb thefe rocks. 

 They conftrucl ladders of reeds (bofchrotting) and bamboos, 

 by which they are enabled to afcend to the holes ; but, if the 

 caverns are too deep, they employ (hip-ropes. When they 

 have got to the bottom of the caverns, they place bamboos 

 with notches in them againft the wall, if thefe be fufficient 



* This has been hitherto generally believed, and copied from one 

 naturalift by another. Houttyn himfelf in his Natuurlyke Hi/Icrie, vol. i. 

 part v. p. 607, gives a description of the bird as well as of its mariner of 

 feeding, which is confiderably different from the above. 



