244 HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



Want of space forbids me to introduce an illustration of this ex- 

 quisite little creature, including a figure of its nest, which equals 

 in beauty the home of many foreign birds. As, however, this nest 

 is tolerably familiar, and examples can always be obtained, I have 

 preferred to insert figures of the nests made by exotic and less 

 known birds. 



The Golden-crested Wren (Regulus cristatus), whose form 

 and colors are so well known as to require no description, builds 

 a beautifully neat little nest, thickly lined with feathers, in which 

 the minute little nestlings can lie securely. The nest is always 

 placed under the protection of a natural roof, a spray of leaves 

 being a favorite spot. Almost invariably the nest is fairly sus- 

 pended, and in several instances I have noticed that three branch- 

 es were used for the purpose. 



We will now return to our Australian birds. 



There is a genus of very small birds, called Dicseum, which is 

 spread over many parts of the world, and finds several represent- 

 atives in Australia. All are interesting birds; but as the present 

 work only treats of birds as the architects of their nests, it is nec- 

 essary to select one which builds a pensile habitation. This is 

 the Swallow Dicleum (Dicceum hirundinaceum), a bird scarcely 

 as large as our common wren, and glowing with brilliant colors, 

 the whole of the upper part being deep, glossy blue-black ; the 

 throat, breast, and under tail-coverts of a fiery scarlet ; and the 

 abdomen pure white. It has a very sweet though low and in- 

 ward note, so faint as scarcely to be audible from the tops of the 

 trees, but continued for a long time together. 



Artificial aids to vision are required in order to watch the hab- 

 its of the Dicceum, for it loves the tops of the tallest trees, where 

 its minute body can scarcely be seen without the assistance of 

 glasses. The Casuarinoa are favorite trees with this bird, which 

 is fond of flitting about the branches of a parasitic plant called 

 loranthus, which bears viscid berries. It is not precisely known 

 whether the bird haunts the loranthus for the sake of the berries 

 or of the insects, but as the Dicncum is one of the insect eaters, the 

 latter supposition is probably correct. 



It is very seldom if ever seen on the ground, and its flight 

 among the upper branches is quick, sharp, and darting. 



The nest of the Swallow Dicseum is as pretty as its architect, 

 and its ordinary shape can be seen in the accompanying illustra- 



