Queer Homes. 37 



been thrown. The bird was carefully watched, and at 

 length ohserved flying away with a long strip of blue 

 paper dargling from her beak and disappearing suddenly 

 in a thicket some yards off. I followed her quickly, and 

 there, in i forked branch, was a large spherical nest com- 

 posed alf lost entirely of strips of coloured paper. The 

 nest war subsequently completed, and four speckled 

 eggs deposited in it, but one day I missed it; some vaga- 

 bondising Gold-digger having rutalessly torn it down 

 and carried it off. 



The " hang-nests" may be reckoned among the most 

 skilful of bird archite6ls, and a cabbage palm I once saw 

 at Broo'.nlands, (Mr. C. A. Parrett's plantation in 

 Mahaicony), was decorated in a most singular man- 

 ner with the nests of the black " Bunyah," Ostinops 

 decuman us. At the end of every arching frond was 

 attached a long purse-like nest, and the whole were 

 arranged as symmetrically as if j^^^Iaced there by human 

 hands. I never remember seeing a more interesting 

 sight, ani often wish I could have phctographed the tree. 

 While speaking of the " Bunyah" it may be as well to 

 note that another hang-nest, the large black rice-bird, 

 Cassidz'^ oryzivora, seems never , -tuild a home of her 

 own, but contents herself w th making use of the deserted 

 Bu.,yah lests, in which to 'ay her curiously marked eggs. 



Cf all strange niares that a b.rd should eleft to con- 

 stru6t h^r nest, that of i groi id dove, Chamzpelia 

 passsrim, which I saw at tue Island cf St. Thomas in the 

 skull of an ox, was certainly the nos unexpe6led. The 

 old skul, was lying on the £ -ound ii au exposed pc :ition, 

 and the I ird bad found entra ..ce to i t through the foramen 

 magnum^ which had been acciden lall}' enlarged, and had 



