The Crested Tree-Swift 205 



drawing it in, he eventually got hold of the part where the 

 nest was. It was a tedious business, but at last he got it 

 down, and I was very glad when I safely got hold of the 

 nest and egg. The nest was made of a few bits of bark 

 and feathers gummed on to the branch, and apparently 

 in addition to the saliva of the bird, some of the gum of 

 the tree itself had been used." 



The nest of the Javan Tree-Swift (M. longipennis] 

 is described by the late Dr. Bernstein in very similar 

 terms. He says that it was a very delicate structure, only 

 just large enough to receive the single bluish-white egg, 

 and the walls were no thicker than parchment. He ob- 

 served that the bird did not sit on the nest itself, as the 

 latter was not strong enough to support its weight, but 

 it perched on the slender bough close to the nest, so that 

 it was able to cover the latter with the feathers of its 

 belly. 



One curious habit of the Crested Tree-Swift of India 

 {M. coronata] must not be passed over without remark, and 

 that is their method of roosting. Mr. Stuart Baker tells 

 us that "just after sunset one hears a harsh scream overhead, 

 then another, and another, as one by one the birds collect. 

 On arriving at their proposed roosting-place they fly round 

 and round, gradually lowering their flight until one bird 

 suddenly makes a sweep and settles on some part of the 

 tree near the top. This is the signal for the rest to perch, 

 and in a few minutes they are all dotted about the higher 

 branches. Then they begin to close up with the bird which 

 first alighted on the tree, finally collecting in a feathery 

 ball, one on the top of the other. The first attempt, 

 however, is seldom satisfactory, and they scatter abruptly, 

 when the same performance is again gone through. Some- 

 times this happens again and again before they get settled, 

 but at last the twittering stops and they are asleep for the 

 night. It is wonderful how compactly these birds close up ; 



