﻿Lieut. 
  H. 
  E. 
  Barnes 
  on 
  the 
  Birds 
  of 
  Aden. 
  81 
  

  

  where 
  they 
  breed 
  most 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  compound 
  of 
  a 
  house, 
  in 
  the 
  

   Native 
  Infantry 
  Lines, 
  near 
  the 
  Gaol. 
  There 
  are 
  some 
  fairly 
  

   large 
  trees 
  in 
  this 
  compound, 
  and 
  as 
  water 
  is 
  procurable 
  

   close 
  by 
  the 
  place 
  is 
  exactly 
  suited 
  to 
  them. 
  

  

  They 
  breed 
  in 
  colonies 
  at 
  all 
  seasons 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  I 
  find 
  

   from 
  my 
  notes 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  taken 
  eggs 
  in 
  February, 
  April, 
  

   June, 
  July, 
  October, 
  and 
  in 
  December, 
  on 
  Christmas 
  Day. 
  

  

  The 
  nest 
  is 
  pendent 
  and 
  retort-shaped, 
  and 
  is 
  firmly 
  

   attached 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  a 
  twig 
  ; 
  it 
  measures 
  about 
  6 
  inches 
  

   from 
  top 
  to 
  bottom, 
  6 
  inches 
  in 
  its 
  greatest 
  width, 
  and 
  

   about 
  3 
  inches 
  in 
  depth. 
  Most 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  very 
  neat 
  

   and 
  compact, 
  but 
  this 
  depends 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent 
  on 
  the 
  

   nature 
  of 
  the 
  material 
  of 
  Avhich 
  they 
  are 
  composed; 
  those 
  

   composed 
  of 
  grass 
  are 
  untidy 
  compared 
  with 
  others 
  made 
  of 
  

   the 
  long 
  thin 
  leaves 
  of 
  a 
  tree 
  that 
  bears 
  large 
  trusses 
  of 
  

   bright 
  yellow 
  flowers, 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  forgotten. 
  

   These 
  leaves 
  are 
  over 
  a 
  foot 
  long 
  and 
  are 
  very 
  narrow, 
  and 
  

   along 
  both 
  sides 
  have 
  a 
  row 
  of 
  narrow 
  leaflets, 
  making 
  the 
  

   edges 
  serrated, 
  which 
  must 
  help 
  greatly 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  leaves 
  

   in 
  their 
  position 
  in 
  the 
  nest. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  nests 
  have 
  no 
  

   tubular 
  entrances, 
  but 
  others 
  have 
  them 
  about 
  two 
  inches 
  long; 
  

   and 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  made 
  last 
  of 
  all, 
  and, 
  as 
  I 
  believe, 
  after 
  the 
  

   young 
  are 
  hatched 
  out, 
  and 
  are 
  composed 
  of 
  green 
  lea-ses, 
  

   the 
  effect 
  is 
  very 
  peculiar, 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  nest 
  being 
  often 
  

   dry 
  and 
  the 
  neck 
  of 
  a 
  vivid 
  green. 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  of 
  opinion 
  that 
  they 
  occasionally, 
  at 
  all 
  events, 
  make 
  

   use 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  nests 
  over 
  again, 
  merely 
  patching 
  them 
  up 
  

   a 
  little; 
  buh 
  Captain 
  R. 
  H. 
  Light, 
  of 
  the 
  17th 
  Bombay 
  

   Infantry, 
  who 
  was 
  living 
  in 
  the 
  bungalow, 
  and 
  had 
  ample 
  

   opportunities 
  of 
  observing 
  them, 
  has 
  a 
  different 
  notion. 
  

   He 
  says 
  in 
  a 
  letter 
  to 
  me 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  I 
  had 
  an 
  idea 
  that 
  they 
  bred 
  

   in 
  the 
  old 
  nests 
  again, 
  but 
  that 
  is 
  not 
  so. 
  I 
  saw 
  a 
  bird 
  

   pecking 
  in 
  a 
  curious 
  way 
  at 
  a 
  nest 
  out 
  of 
  \^ 
  hich 
  I 
  had 
  taken 
  

   an 
  egg 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  before. 
  On 
  going 
  closer, 
  I 
  saw 
  the 
  bird 
  

   was 
  vigorously 
  pulling 
  the 
  nest 
  to 
  pieces, 
  as 
  every 
  now 
  and 
  

   then 
  pieces 
  of 
  it 
  fell 
  down. 
  At 
  intervals 
  it 
  flew 
  off 
  to 
  another 
  

   tree 
  to 
  rest 
  awhile. 
  When 
  the 
  nest 
  was 
  demolished, 
  the 
  bird 
  

   flew 
  to 
  a 
  tree 
  some 
  twenty 
  yards 
  off 
  and 
  cut 
  off 
  a 
  leaf 
  with 
  its 
  

  

  SEK. 
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