PENDULOUS NESTS 269 



reproduction were all known. There are, however, a 

 great many birds whose nests still remain absolutely 

 unknown, or, at least, have never been described by 

 any competent naturalist. The bulk of these be- 

 long to species peculiar to the South American 

 continent, a region exceptionally rich in bird life, and 

 as equally poor in working naturalists. Then, again, 

 it would be quite unnecessary to describe more than 

 one nest in many groups, that of one being almost an 

 exact replica of another. Broadly speaking, every 

 special type of architecture has been described, and 

 each has been fairly well, in some cases exceptionally 

 well, illustrated by numbers of examples; whilst 

 every opportunity has been taken to touch lightly 

 upon the philosophic side of the subject. More than 

 this could not be attempted in a little work, which, 

 besides being a pioneer, standing practically alone at 

 the threshold of an almost neglected science, makes 

 no more ambitious pretension than to introduce the 

 reader to the very fascinating study of Birds' Nests. 



In our wide review of avine reproduction, we com- 

 menced with the consideration of those birds that 

 either make no provision for their eggs or young, the 

 absolutely nestless that seek the bare earth for a 

 cradle, or those that annex the deserted cast-off 

 home of some more industrious, shall I say, more 

 provident species ? Or yet again the parasites, the 

 birds that shirk every parental duty and leave their 

 egg to be hatched and their young fostered by another 



