THE GREY-BREASTED PARRAKEET. 219 



it, interlacing the twigs with which she had been sup- 

 plied as cleverly as any trained basket-maker could 

 possibly have done, while the bottom of the box was 

 also filled up level with the sides by a variety of bits 

 of stick twisted together in the most intricate and 

 extraordinary manner. The original opening into this 

 piece of basketry faced the east, but the Quaker 

 apparently found that it admitted too much air, or 

 cold, and deliberately closed it, substituting for it one 

 that looked towards the south. 



Naturally, when this elaborate piece of workmanship 

 was finished, I looked for some use being made of it, 

 perhaps even the laying of a few eggs, barren of course, 

 but interesting as specimens nevertheless ; but nothing 

 of the kind ever made its appearance, and the bird did 

 not even sleep in it, though many hours of daylight 

 were spent there and she kept on adding to and taking 

 from the structure without apparent rhyme or reason. 



Eventually when I got rid of the bird, the nest was 

 taken down and its component parts, less the box 

 itself, were found enough to twice fill a good-sized 

 bucket. 



The Quaker is not uncommon in the market, but, 

 curiously enough, while I had the nest-builder in my 

 possession I could not meet with a mate for her, though 

 I inquired in every direction, even at the "Zoo," where 

 they had three, but not one to part with either for 

 cash or in exchange. 



