90 THE ARCHITECTURE OF BIRDS. 



Within this are thick matted layers of the fine 

 wings of certain flying seeds closely laid together : 

 and, lastly, the downy substance from the great 

 mullein and from the stalks of the common fern 

 lines the whole. The base of the nest is continued 

 round the stem of the branch, to which it closely 

 adheres, and, when viewed from below, appears a 

 mere mossy knot or accidental protuberance. The 

 eggs are two, pure white, and of equal thickness at 

 both ends. On a person's approaching their nest the 

 little proprietors dart around with a humming sound, 

 passing frequently within a few inches of his head ; 

 and should the young be newly hatched, the female 

 will resume her place upon the nest, even while you 

 stand within a yard or two of the spot. The precise 

 period of incubation I am unable to give ; but the 

 young are in the habit, a short time before they leave 

 the nest, of thrusting their bills into the mouths of 

 their parents, and sucking what they have brought 

 them. I never could perceive that they carried 

 them any animal food, though I think it highly prob- 

 able they do. As I have found their nests with 

 eggs so late as the 12th of July, I do not doubt but 

 that they frequently, and perhaps usually, raise two 

 broods in the same season."* 



But as there would be no end to our enumeration 

 of every individual bird which exhibits skill in felting 

 together the materials of their nests, we think it 

 will be more interesting to our readers to conclude 

 this chapter with the lively narrative which Yaillant 

 has given of the proceedings of a pair of small Afri- 

 can birds. 



This romantic though accurate naturalist had con- 

 trived, by tempting titbits, to render the species al- 

 luded to, which he calls the Capocier (Sylvia ma- 

 croura, LATHAM), so familiar, that a pair of these 

 birds regularly entered his tent several times a day, 



* Wilson, Amer. Orinth., ii., 18. 



