PLOCEINJE. 347 



the bird were good, and believe rather that the unfinished nests are 

 either rejected from some imperfect construction, weak support, or 

 other reason, if built early in the breeding season ; or, if late, that 

 they are simply the efforts of that constructive faculty which ap- 

 pears, at this season, 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. 



I have generally found that the Baya lays only two eggs, which 

 are long, cylindrical, and pure white, but other observers record a 

 larger number. Sundevall states that he found three in one nest. 

 Layard says from two to four ; Burgess six to eight ; Tickell six 

 to ten. Blyth thinks that four or five is the most usual number. 

 From many observations, I consider two to be the usual number, 

 but have found three occasionally. In those exceptional instances, 

 where six or more eggs have been found, I imagine they 

 must have been the produce of more than one bird. The 

 Baya, is stated not to use the same nest for two years consecu- 

 tively, and this I can quite understand, without having actually 

 observed it. 



The Baya is frequently taken when young, tamed, and taught 

 to pick up rings, or such like articles, dropped down a well ; 

 or to snatch the Ticca mark off the forehead of a person pointed 

 out. It is also taught occasionally to carry a note to a particular 

 place, on a given signal. Mr. Blvth, in an unpublished paper, 

 has the following interesting account of some of this bird's perfor- 

 mances : " The truth is that the feats performed by trained Bayas 

 are really very wonderful, and must be witnessed to be fully 

 credited. Exhibitors carry them about, we believe, to all parts 

 of the country ; and the usual procedure is, when ladies are 

 present, for the bird, on a sign from its master, to take a cardamom 

 or sweetmeat, in its bill, and deposit it between a lady's lips, and 

 repeat this offering to every lady present ; the bird following the 

 look and gesture of its master. A miniature cannon is then 

 brought, which the bird loads with coarse grains of powder one by 

 one, or more commonly with small balls of powder made up for 

 the purpose ; it next seizes and skilfully uses a small ramrod ; 

 and then takes a lighted match from its master which it applies 



