THE OLIVE WEAVER. 71 



a perch, knotted them cleverly together, and on this 

 slender foundation proceeded to erect a marvel of bird- 

 architecture that was the admiration of everyone who 

 saw it. Whether the hen would have made use of it, 

 had not the season been so far advanced, it is impossible 

 to say, but probably she might; however, she evidently 

 thought it was too late then, for although the cock 

 did everything in his power to induce her to go into 

 it, she would have nothing to say to the marvellous 

 nest and, consequently, was very much driven about 

 by her mate, and, I regret to say, maltreated. 



The next year I sent the birds to the Show at the 

 Crystal Palace in the spring, and that seemed to have 

 upset them, for they made no attempt to build again, 

 although they had been supplied with similar material 

 to that which had tempted them the season before. 



I cannot now recollect exactly how long they remained 

 jn my possession, but after a time, several years, the 

 male began to show signs of age and decrepitude; he 

 did not moult as usual in the autumn, and developed 

 an overgrowth of nail and bill, dying before the advent 

 of the following spring, apparently from the effects of 

 sheer old age. 



As the hen remained in good health I tried for some 

 time to obtain her another mate, but eventually she, 

 too, after having been a widow for a year or two, began 

 to sink, finally dying of old age like her former partner. 



They were fed entirely on seed, canary, millet, ant] 



