CONTENTS 



PAGB 



Streets and crossings Range of nurseries Studying the 

 weather Night work Working in the rain Laying out a new 

 story Building walls Vaulted chambers Putting in the ceil- 

 ings Taking advantage of the rain A successful ruse Black 

 ants Marking out a new story An industrious labourer Road- 

 making An error of judgment Advantages seized Indepen- 

 dent labour Nature's implements Robbers' caves . 104 



CHAPTER VII 



MAKERS OF MOUNDS 

 BIRDS 



Flamingoes Hillock nests A quaint narrative Stalking flamin- 

 goes An old story disproved An albatros "rookery" Alba- 

 tros-nesting The mallee-bird Preparing the incubator An 

 immense mound Burying the eggs The Australian mound- 

 bird Nests upon which trees sometimes grow A nest of iron- 

 stone Digging for eggs * . . 124 



CHAPTER VIII 



MASONS 



Architectural ingenuity Mud houses Dauber wasps Catholic 

 tastes Warm corners Dauber's daintiness The builder at 

 work Laying in provisions Ingenious cruelty A spider bomb 

 Working by rote A fruitless task Building improvements 

 Mason bees and rough-cast A natural cement Collecting 

 materials Building stones Cake-making Roofing in Re- 

 storing old buildings Cupolas The keystone Clusters of 

 nests Plasterers Sheltered sites Keeping out trespassers 

 A stout wall Born in the midst of plenty Odynerusk firm 

 foundation Softening the ground Excavations A Lilliputian 

 leaning tower Filigree walls An invader discouraged Fur- 

 nishing the larder A stack of bricks Bee hodmen Porches 

 and sentinels . . . . . 134 



CHAPTER IX 



MORE MASONS 



Universal favourites Chimney swallows A peculiar taste A safe 

 spot Building materials House martins Firm foundations 

 "In the weather on the outward wall" A piteous sight 

 Australian relatives Bottle nests Working in gangs The 

 oven-bird's home "Johnny Clay" A reputation for piety A 

 well-built house Singing duets A burial The Syrian nuthatch 

 Love of building Hornbills A willing prisoner Feeding 

 the prisoners Storming the prison A miserable object 

 Amphibians The family genius Frogs building walls . 152 



