200 Travels and Adventures 



containing more than half-a-dozen plant-boxes each, 

 and then there is a great danger of having them 

 thrown into the river by the least carelessness on 

 the part of the boatmen. 



In making the descent of the Santo Domingo river 

 we came upon a colony of Weaver Birds (Cassicus 

 periscus). These attractive little birds live in com- 

 panies sometimes amounting to several hundreds, and 

 they generally choose a high tree quite isolated, and 

 there hang their peculiarly made nests to the ex- 

 tremities of the branches which project most from 

 the trunk in a horizontal position. I have met with 

 several species, all apparently of the same habits. 

 The nests of the one I saw on the Santo Domingo 

 were perfect works of art, about two feet long, made of 

 the fine, dry stems of climbing plants, and woven 

 together in a way that would make it difficult to 

 believe they were the work of so small an architect. 

 They are narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, 

 looking like huge stockings floating in the wind ; the 

 wide, bulging part at the bottom is occupied by a nice 

 bed made of the soft seed-covering of the Asclepias, 

 and in this the female lays two tiny spotted eggs ; an 

 aperture is left in the top of the nest just large 

 enough for the occupants to pass in and out, and at 

 the same time to look like a trap to snakes and other 

 enemies. The cleverness with which they use their 



