1 76 DENDROCOL APTI DJE . 



whenever a person approaches the rushes often emerge together, one 

 uttering wooden-sounding creaks and raps, the other liquid gurgling 

 notes a little brown bird and a little bird with many bright colours, 

 both, in very different tones, demanding to know the reason of the 

 intrusion. 



The nest is a very wonderful structure, and is usually attached to 

 three upright stems ; it is domed, oval-shaped, about nine inches deep, 

 and the small circular aperture which is close to the top is protected 

 by a sloping tile-like projection. It is built of tough grass-leaves, 

 which are apparently first daubed with wet clay and then ingeniously 

 woven in, with the addition, I think, of some kind of mucilage : the 

 whole nest is, when finished, light but very strong, and impervious to 

 wet. Until the rushes die and drop the nest remains securely fastened 

 to them, and in winter affords a safe and comfortable retreat to the 

 small reed-frogs, of which sometimes as many as three or four are found 

 living in one nest. The interior is very thickly lined with feathers; 

 the eggs are three, pear-shaped, and a bright, beautiful blue colour, 

 sometimes with a slight greenish tinge. 



The bird is so abundant in extensive marshes that I have on several 

 occasions, during a day's ramble, found as many as forty or fifty nests, 

 sometimes a dozen or more being placed close together, but I have never 

 taken more than three eggs from one nest. I mention this because I 

 have seen it stated that four or five eggs are sometimes found. 



I trust that no reader of this sketch imagines that I robbed all the 

 eggs contained in so many nests. I did nothing so barbarous, although 

 it is perhaps " prattling out of fashion " to say so ; but with the 

 destructive, useless egg-collecting passion I have no sympathy. By 

 bending the pliant rushes downwards the eggs can be made to roll out 

 into the hand ; and all those which I thus took out to count were, I am 

 glad to say, put back in their wonderful cradles. I had a special object 

 in examining so many nests. A gaucho boy once brought me a nest 

 which had a small circular stopper, made of the same texture as the 

 body of the nest, attached to the aperture at the side, and when swung 

 round into it fitting it as perfectly as the lid of the trap-door spider fits 

 the burrow. I have no doubt that it was used to close the nest when 

 the bird was away, perhaps to prevent the intrusion of reed-frogs or of 

 other small birds ; but I have never found another nest like it, nor have 

 I heard of one being found by any one else ; and that one nest, with 

 its perfectly-fitting stopper, has been a puzzle to my mind ever since 

 I saw it. 



