How Animals Work. 



The Rock Warbler, or Cataract Bird, is a small brown 

 bird with a dull red tint upon the breast, and is scarcely 

 as big as our common sparrow. As one of its popular 

 names denotes, it is a bird which invariably frequents 

 such situations as mountain streams when they rush 

 through rocky channels, and it is in such surroundings, 

 wherever some rock ledge overhangs the stream and 

 affords suitable shelter, that the bird builds its nest. 

 This is really a very remarkable structure, calling for 

 considerable patience and skill in its weaving. The 

 material used by the bird is the long moss which grows 

 plentifully at hand, and with this the Rock Warbler 

 builds a nest which in shape somewhat resembles an 

 old-fashioned claret jug without a handle, but having 

 a long, slender neck terminating abruptly in a more or 

 less globular body. Though of rather rough exterior, 

 the nest is soft and snug within, and the entrance is 

 near the centre of the bulbous expansion. The birds 

 appear to be of a social disposition, for they will hang 

 their nests by dozens in quite close proximity to each 

 other on the face of some particularly favoured site. 

 The Dicaeum Swallow is a wee, bright-coloured bird 

 scarcely as large as the wren, and frequents the tops 

 of the tallest trees. Its upper plumage is a beautiful 

 glossy blue-black, while the throat and breast are a vivid 

 scarlet, and the stomach pure white. High up at the top 

 of a tree the myall or weeping acacia being a favourite 

 -the graceful little bird hangs its beautiful nest, which 

 when first built is of purest white hue. The tiny 

 feathered architect uses nothing but the white, cotton- 

 like down which it collects from various seeding plants, 

 and with this material fashions a more or less pouch- 



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