Some Foreign Bird Architects. 



to have such a powerful effect on this little bird, and 

 which causes some of them to go on building the long 

 tubular entrance long after the hen is seated on her 

 eggs."* 



The different species of* Weaver Birds all build 

 characteristic nests. Thus the Mahali Weaver Bird of 

 South Africa constructs a wonderfully stout nest of 

 considerable size, shaped rather like a Florence oil 

 flask with a shortened wide neck. In weaving this 

 nest the bird contrives that the ends of all the stout 

 grass stalks project outwards and point downwards, 

 so that, although they give a rather rough appearance 

 to the exterior, they serve very effectively as eaves to 

 throw off the rain from the nest. Another species 

 (Ploceus ocularius) weaves a nest that looks like a chem- 

 ist's retort suspended bulb upwards, and uses in its 

 construction a very stiff, narrow, and elastic grass, the 

 stem of which is about the thickness of very fine twine. 

 Although, as it hangs from the tree, this basket-work 

 model of an inverted chemist's retort looks a some- 

 what unsafe home for young restless fledglings, who 

 might struggle up from the safe recesses of the ex- 

 panded bulb or take a header down the neck of the 

 tube, this is not really the case ; for the wise little parent 

 birds in the process of weaving it have constructed a 

 kind of partition just where the neck is united to the 

 bulb, in such a manner as effectually to prevent such 

 a disaster befalling their offspring. 



* Birds of India, Vol. II. 



239 



