68 



THE ARCHITECTURE OF BIRDS. 



Another of these gregarious African birds is the 

 pensile grosbeak (Loxia pensilis), which is about the 

 size of a house-sparrow, and makes a basket-nest of 

 straw and reeds, interwoven into the shape of a bag, 

 with the entrance below, while it is fastened above 

 to the twig of some tree, chiefly such as grow on 

 the borders of streams. On one side of this, with- 

 in, is the true nest. The bird does not build a dis- 

 tinct nest every year, but fastens a new one to the 

 lower end of the old, and as many as five may thus 

 be seen, one hanging from another. From five to 

 six hundred such nests have been observed crowd- 

 ed upon one tree. 



Nests of the Pensile Grosbeak (Loxia pensilis). 



A living author of reputation thus describes these 

 nests ; but we must premise that we do not coincide 

 with his opinion of the structure being devised for 

 defence : " Several varieties of the finch tribe, in 

 South Africa, suspend their nests from the branches 



