THE PARADISE FLYCATCHER 159 



angry sparrow. But in addition to this the cock has two 

 tuneful calls. One resembles the commencement of 

 the song of the white-browed fantail flycatcher, and the 

 other is a sweet little warble of about four notes. I 

 have repeatedly been quite close to the cock when thus 

 singing and have seen his throat swell when he sang, 

 so there can be no question as to the notes being his. 

 He thus furnishes one of the many exceptions to the 

 rule that brilliantly plumaged birds have no song. 



The nest is a deepish cup, firmly attached to two or 

 more slender branches ; it is in shape like an inverted 

 cone with the point prolonged as a stalk. It is com- 

 posed chiefly of vegetable fibres and fine grass ; these 

 being coated outwardly by a thick layer of cobweb and 

 small white cocoons. Let me take this opportunity of 

 remarking that cobweb affords a most important building 

 material to bird masons ; it is their cement, and many 

 species, such as sunbirds and flycatchers, use it most 

 unsparingly. 



The paradise flycatcher seems to delight to build in 

 exposed situations, hence a great many of their nests 

 come to grief, especially in the Punjab, where, if there 

 be anything in phrenology, the bumps of destructive- 

 ness and cruelty must be enormously developed in 

 every small boy. 



The nesting habits of the paradise flycatcher have 

 been described in detail in the preceding article. They 

 are of considerable biological importance. I would lay 

 especial stress on the active part in courtship played 

 by the hen, the large share in incubation taken by the 

 cock, and the change in the plumage of the cock bird 



