64 AUDUBON THE NATURALIST. 



these birds form their nest onlj of the Spanish 

 moss, instead of the warmer materials often used, 

 and baild it so as to be freely ventilated by the 

 air. They are careful, moreover, to place it on 

 the north-east side of the tree. On the other 

 hand, should they proceed as far as Penns^d- 

 vania or New York, their nests would be com- 

 posed of the softest, warmest substances; the 

 intense cold, which sometimes succeeds the fre- 

 quent changes of the atmosphere in those places, 

 rendering such caution necessary for the preserva- 

 tion of the brood. Two singular instances of the 

 capacity of birds for architecture were met with 

 by Mr. Gould, in the bower bird and the spotted 

 bower bird of Austraha, which build '' bower- 

 like structures for the purpose of a playing 

 ground or hall of assembly." The bower of the 

 latter birds is considerably longer than that of 

 the first, more resembling an avenue. Having 

 an external coating of twigs, it is lined with tall 

 leaves so contrived as to met at the top. Paved 

 with shells and stones, these enticing little habit- 

 ations are adorned also with brightly coloured 

 feathers. 



Equally interesting is the habitation of the 

 tailor bird, so minutely described in that re- 

 pository of rare and curious information, the 

 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. A 

 nest was found woven stoutly of cotton, thickly 



