82 BIRD ARCHITECTS 



structure, with a round entrance hole just large enough 

 to admit the bird, usually situated on the most inacces- 

 sible side. The top is often decorated with old tins, rags, 

 bits of plank, and we have even found dead birds, old 

 bits of skin, &c. Whether this is to hide the real identity 

 of the nest from above is difficult to say. There is a 

 large nest in a fork of a willow-tree about 25 feet from 

 the ground at the Dynamite Factory, Modderfontein, 

 which has been made use of year by year for the last 

 seven or eight years. This measures about 4 feet by 3^ feet, 

 and is sufficiently strong to bear easily the weight of 

 a fairly heavy man. The Hammerhead lays three or 

 four eggs of a dull white, sometimes marked with a few 

 pale brown blotches, which, however, may be stains. 

 Eggs may be looked for during the months of October 

 and November. 



