8o NOTES. 



in equal or unequal numbers whether the male alone 

 was the builder, or whether the wife assisted in the 

 construction. I believe, however, that such a nest 

 lasts for several seasons. 



"The Amblyornis selects a flat even place around 

 the trunk of a small tree, that is as thick and as high 

 as a walking-stick of middle size. It begins by con- 

 structing at the base of the tree a kind of a cone, 

 chiefly of moss, of the size of a man's hand. The 

 trunk of the tree becomes the central pillar, and the 

 whole building is supported by it. The height of the 

 pillar is a little less than that of the whole of the hut, 

 not quite reaching two feet. On the top of the central 

 pillar twigs are then methodically placed in a radiating 

 manner, resting on the ground, leaving an aperture for 

 the entrance. Thus is obtained a conical and very regular 

 hut. When the work is complete many other branches 

 are placed transversely in various ways, to make the 

 whole quite firm and impermeable. A circular gallery 

 is left between the walls and the central cone. The 

 whole is nearly three feet in diameter. All the stems 

 used by the Amblyornis are the thin stems of an orchid 

 (Dendrobium), an epiphyte forming large tufts on the 

 mossy branches of great trees, easily bent like straw, 

 and generally about twenty inches long. The stalks 

 had the leaves, which are small and straight, still fresh 

 and living on them ; which leads me to conclude that 

 this plant was selected by the bird to prevent rotting 

 and mould in the building, since it keeps alive for a 



