THE BIRDS AS POTTERS 181 



former country, and Fairy Martin (Lageno-plastes 

 ariel) in the latter, make even better nests than 

 the House-Martin, resembling mud jars attached 

 by the base to their support, which is commonly a 

 wall, these Swallows, like most of their group, 

 readily availing themselves of man-made facilities. 



Three Australian birds, not apparently very 

 nearly related and not at all like Swallows, the Grey 

 Struthidea (Struthidea cinerea), White- winged 

 Chough (Cor cor ax melanorbamphus), and Magpie- 

 Lark or Pied Grallina (Grallina picata) distinguish 

 themselves by making nests in the form of mud 

 bowls, so extraordinarily true that if they were 

 not attached to a support they could not be dis- 

 tinguished from crude human-made pottery. 



Another wonderful mud- worker is the South 

 American Oven-bird, whose domed nest, seated on a 

 bough or post, has a side porch which renders 

 invasion of the nesting chamber almost impossible. 

 This is a very heavy nest, takes months to make, 

 and lasts for years. The bird is a homely one, and 

 a popular favourite, being called, like our Redbreast, 

 by a Christian name, in this case " Alonzo Garcia " 

 or " Alonzito," and credited with not working on 

 Sundays, no doubt because it takes a spell off now 

 and then. A close ally of this bird, curiously 

 enough, is the burrowing " Minera," which reminds 

 one of the great difference of the nesting-habits 

 of the House- and Sand-Martins. 



A combination of hole-building and mud-masonry 

 is found in the nest of the Nuthatch, which has the 



