ORNITHOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES 223 



But what he lacked in splendor of garb and sweetness 

 of tone was more than compensated by his skill in archi- 

 tecture. 



The nest was composed chiefly of fresh growing moss 

 intermixed with the green calyxes of mango blossoms. The 

 whole was bound together with interwoven tendrils of young 

 vines. The interior lining of the deep cup was made up of 

 five consecutive layers of material, making with the bird on 

 the nest, an absolutely waterproof pocket. The outer layer 

 was of coarse fibre, the second of animal hair, the third of 

 wild cotton, the fourth of animal hair, and the fifth, the inner, 

 of wild cotton. The inner layer was very thick and at the 

 bottom formed an exceptionally soft bed for the eggs. 



The outside diameter of the nest was 10 cm., with a 

 depth of 8 cm. The interior cup was 4 cm. in diameter at 

 the top, by 6 cm. deep. 



The two, small, dull-white eggs were rather heavily 

 marked at the larger end with small spots of chestnut, under- 

 laid with specks of lilac, the tendency being to form a ring. 

 A few tiny specks w r ere scattered over the entire shell, but 

 were so small as to be scarcely noticeable. The shell was 

 very thin. The two eggs averaged 16 by 12.5 mm. 



OILY FLYCATCHER 



Mionectes oleagineus oleagineus (Licht.) 



The nest of this species was really a duplicate of other 

 forest flycatcher hangnests -Colopterus, Rhyncliocyclus and 

 probably many others whose nests are unknown. Hanging 

 from small vines in the densest forest, usually close to the 

 ground, it looked like some large, mossy, cornucopia-shaped 

 fruit, fastened pear-like by its little end. The entrance, near 

 the bottom and to one side, was hidden from sight of the 

 casual observer, by overhanging tendrils of living moss 

 which acted effectively as a curtain. Upon entering its home 

 the bird found itself in a narrow, upward slanting tunnel 



