44 THE LIFE OF A BIRD. 



window. It seems to stick firmly, and has no 

 other support." Had the materials in this case 

 been simply moistened with water, no doubt the 

 weight of the nest would have precipitated it to 

 the ground. It has been thought that they select 

 the castings of worms for their nest; but the suppo- 

 sition does not seem borne out by fact. A pleasing 

 account is given by Mr. Couch of the proceedings 

 of these architects. " Their time for working in 

 the erection of these clay tenements is in the 

 early part of the day, so that the mortar may have 

 the benefit of the drying influence of the sun ; the 

 afternoon being employed in hunting after food. 

 But in a situation near the sea, which was covered 

 by the tide at their usual time for labour, these 

 birds exercised so much reflection (?) on the natu- 

 ral phenomena of the ebb and flow of the tide, as 

 to employ the morning for collecting food, reserv- 

 ing their labour for the time when, they reasoned, (?) 

 their materials would be accessible to them. The 

 mortar is conveyed in a pellet, in the top of the 

 bill ; and they are careful not to hasten the struc- 

 ture too fast, lest its own weight, while loaded 

 with moisture, should bring it to the ground. An 

 instance is remembered, where, from some such 



