238 CURIOUS NESTS IN AFRICA. 



emergency, these small birds can build a nest. A 

 Canary was observed to commence her labours about 

 five o'clock in the morning, from which time till near 

 seven she worked so hard that it was completely finished; 

 she had been often disturbed before, in consequence of 

 building in inconvenient places, which probably induced 

 her to use more than ordinary despatch in this nest, 

 availing herself of early hours, before people were 

 likely to see and interfere. 



An African Traveller speaks of some singular nests 

 built by birds, which he describes as resembling our 

 Goldfinch; but he probably mistook them for a family 

 of birds nearly allied to them, and known to inhabit 

 the Cape of Good Hope. For although Bishop Heber 

 found Goldfinches* at the foot of the Snowy Moun- 

 tains in India, and in some other parts where they are 

 caught and sold for about two shillings each, we are not 

 aware that they are known in Africa. The account of 

 the nest, however, is very curious, and, at all events, 

 illustrates the social manners of a set of little birds, 

 like " brethren dwelling together in unity." A tree at 

 a little distance from our waggon, says the traveller who 

 noticed the factt, had two remarkable nests in it. The 

 one was about four yards in circumference, and the other 

 three and about a yard in depth. They were built of 

 coarse grass. One of these nests had seventeen holes 

 in the bottom, by which the birds enter; the other had 

 seven. At one time, I saw about a hundred birds come 

 out of them. Instead of being the nest of a single pair 

 of birds, they seemed to be towns of birds, or the pro- 

 perty of a single pair, in which they accommodate all 

 their descendants. A Horned Owl had taken possession 

 of the outside of the roof of the largest for a nest. 

 She was sitting on it, and it appeared from the bones 

 and hair strewed under, that she lived upon the field- 



* The Goldfinch of the East Indies is the Carcluelis carriceps, a bird 

 much resembling, but not exactly the same as our British species. 

 t CAMPBELL'S Travels in Africa. 



