BIRDS 



459 



reeds are used as a support. Many woven nests are roofed 



over, and have an opening at the side, as in the case of the 



Long-tailed Tit (Acreditla caudata], which has a more elaborate 



home than any other British bird. Compared to the owner it 



is of large dimensions, and ovoid in shape. Moss, wool, and 



cobwebs are the chief materials used, all carefully interwoven. 



The outside is studded with bits of lichen, while the inside is 



lined with hair and feathers. One observer had the curiosity 



to count the number of 



the latter embodied in a 



single nest and made a 



total of 2379, so that this 



item only must involve 



an enormous amount of 



patient labour. When 



the parents are " not at 



home" the aperture is said 



to be closed by a feather. 



Some of the glands of the 



mouth secrete a sticky 



fluid, which is of import- 



ance in softening and 



working up the material 



used in neat and elaborate 



nests like this one; cob- 



webs, too, prove useful as 



an adhesive. The Pen- 



duline Tit 



Fig. 980. Penduline Tit (SEgithalus pendulinus) and Nest 



pendulinus, fig. 980) of South Europe constructs an equally 

 elaborate hanging nest, which is entered by a sort of passage, 

 that has suggested comparison with a bottle, though a better 

 simile would be afforded by a short-necked retort. 



The Indian Tailor- Bird (Orthotomus sutorius, fig. 981) con- 

 structs a hanging nest with extraordinary ingenuity, by sewing 

 together a couple of long leaves into a sort of funnel, within 

 which a soft bed of cotton is placed for the reception of the 

 eggs. The sewing material is made of cotton, and sometimes, 

 at least, is twisted by the bird itself, which is also credited with 

 making a knot for the usual purpose. The Fan-tail Warbler 

 (Cisticola cursitans) of South Europe builds a globular nest 



