EDIBLE SWALLOW. 399 



should be seen standing alone, it is nearly certain to be the 

 home of a Hare, which has made its warm soft couch within the 

 mass of needle-like prickles. 



The Tiger has a very similar habit, and takes advantage of 

 a certain drooping shrub, called the Korinda, which is of low 

 growth, making its lair underneath the boughs, which afford at 

 once a shelter from the sun and a concealment from enemies. 



We now pass to the Birds, the first of which is that remark- 

 able species called the Edible or Esculent Swallow {Collocalia 

 nidifica). The popular name is given to it, not because itself is 

 edible, but because its nest is eaten in some countries. 



We have all heard of birds'-nest soup, and some of us may 

 possibly have imagined that the nests in question are made of 

 the ordinary vegetable substances, such as moss, leaves, and 

 twigs. Some persons have thought that the material is fish 

 spawn, while others think that it is secreted by certain glands 

 situated in the throat, and therefore produced entirely by the 

 bird. The real material is clearly a kind of seaweed. I possess 

 some of this substance, which, when dried, is colourless and 

 translucent, exactly like the nest. When placed in boifing 

 water, it swells into a gelatinous mass, quite tasteless, as is the 

 nest itself, and capable of being drawn into fibres like those of 

 which the nest is made. 



When first made, these nests are very white and delicate in 

 their aspect, and in that condition are extremely valuable, being 

 sold at an extravagant price to the Chinese. They soon darken 

 by use and exposure, and are not fit for the purposes of the table 

 until they have been cleaned and bleached. 



These nests are found in Borneo, Java, &c., and are extremely 

 local, being confined to certain spots. The birds always choose 

 the sides of deep cavernous precipices, so that the task of 

 obtaining the nests is extremely dangerous. They are attached 

 to the perpendicular rocks much as the ordinary mud-built 

 swallow-nests, and are generally arranged in horizontal layers. 

 The caverns in which the nests are placed are extremely valuable, 

 and are preserved with jealous care from any intruder. 



