314 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Astonishing sensibility and docility. 



feet, light-coloured breast, and a conic beak very 

 thick in proportion to its body. 



" This lird is exceedingly common in Hin- 

 dostan : be is astonishingly sensible, faithful and 

 docile; never voluntarily deserting the place 

 where his young are hatched, but not averse, like 

 jnost other birds, to the society of mankind, and 

 easily. taught to perch on the band of his master. 

 In a state of nature he generally builds his nest 

 on the bighest tree that he can find, especially 

 on the palmyra, or on the Indian fig-tree, and he 

 prefers that which happens to overhang a well or 

 a rivulet : he makes it of grass, which he weaves 

 like cloth, and shapes like a large bottle, suspend- 

 ing it firmly on the branches, but so as to rock 

 with the wind, and, placing it with its entrance 

 downwards to secure it from birds of prey. His 

 nest usually consists of two or three chambers ; 

 and it is popularly believed that he lights them 

 with fire-flies, which he is said to catch alive at 

 night, and confine with moist clay or with cow- 

 (Jung. That such flies are often found in his 

 nest where pieces of cow-dung are also stuck, is 

 indubitable; but as their light could be of little 

 use to him, it seems probable that he only feeds 

 on them. 



" He may be taught with ease to fetch a piece 

 of paper, or any small thing that his master 

 points out to him. It is an attested fact, that if 

 a ring be dropped into a deep well, and a signal 

 given to him, he will fly down with amazing ce- 



