THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 289 



CHAPTER VIII. 



WEAVERS. 



MANY birds construct for their nests a kind of canvas, 

 composed of grasses twisted together in a very compact 

 manner, resembling a coarse cloth woven upon the loom of 

 some primitive tribe. These are in truth weavers, who 

 work up vegetable fibre like wool or cotton, possessing only 

 their beaks for shuttles, and using them with great activity 

 in order to interlace the fine stems of the grasses, and form 

 a sort of textile fabric which is very thick and very difficult 

 to tear. 



The tissue, notwithstanding its complicated character, is 

 made very rapidly, the workman passing and repassing its 

 beak with extreme swiftness through its substance, so as 

 densely to interlace all the fibres. One never tires contem- 

 plating the dexterity it displays. These winged workers 

 construct different kinds of dwellings. Some consist of a 

 sort of purse, having in the interior a little pannier affixed 

 to its sides, in which the female places her brood. In this 

 case the entrance is frequently situated at the lower part, 

 which represents a kind of wide-mouthed funnel, by which 

 the wedded pair enter and leave the family mansion : this 

 is the method adopted by some Troopials. Others are sim- 

 ply long and wide sacks, with one or more openings, sus- 

 pended to the branches of trees. 



On this account the name of weavers has been given to a 

 tribe of sparrows remarkable for the perfection of their 



