NATURAL HISTORY. 207 



strings of hemp or flax around both branches 

 of the fork, just as far apart as he means the 

 width of his nest to be : he then with the same 

 kind of strings, mixed in with pieces of loose 

 tow. weaves a strong, firm kind of cloth, which 

 is like Jie hatter's felt in appearance, only that 

 you can see that the nest is woven, not felted. 

 In this way he makes a pouch, or purse, six 

 or seven inches deep, and lines it on the in- 

 side with several soft things, which he weaves 

 into the outside netting, and finishes the 

 whole with horse-hair. Mr. Wilson describes 

 one of these nests which he had. He says 

 that it was round like a cylinder. Do you 

 know what a cylinder is ?" 



" No, Uncle Philip." 



" A smooth round pillar to hold up a porch 

 is a cylinder ; my walking-cane is a cylinder ; 

 so is the straight body of a tree. When these 

 are of the same size all through their whole 

 length, they are perfect cylinders ; and any 

 thing in that shape is a cylinder." 



" We understand you, Uncle Philip ; a gun- 

 barrel is a cylinder, and there is a cylinder in 

 your garden." 



" What is it ?" 



" The heavy stone roller that you let us 

 pull over the walks. "^ 



