BIRDS' NESTS 311 



trance, the titmouse, small as it is, must stretch the 

 elastic wall, which yields a little and then contracts 

 again. This purse, as I have called it, is made of 

 the cotton-like flock that comes from the ripening 

 seeds of poplars and willows in May. The titmouse 

 gathers these bits of down and weaves them together 

 with a woof of wool and hemp. The fabric thus ob- 

 tained is not unlike the felt of a cheap hat. 



"It would be useless to seek an explanation of the 

 bird's astonishing success in manufacturing, with 

 no implements but beak and claws, a textile that 

 man's skilful hand, left to its own resources, would 

 be unable to produce; and this success the bird 

 achieves with no previous apprenticeship, without 

 hesitation and without ever having seen the thing 

 done by others. At the very first trial the titmouse 

 surpasses in its art our weavers and fullers. 



"The top of the nest includes in its thickness the 

 end of the branch from which it hangs, with the ter- 

 minal twigs of that branch, which serve as frame- 

 work for the nest's vaulted roof, while the foliage 

 projecting through the sides of the nest protects 

 it with its shade. Finally, to secure greater firmness 

 of support, a cordage of wool and hemp is passed 

 around the branch and interlaced with the felt of 

 the nest. The inside of this hanging habitation is 

 lined with down of the finest quality from the poplar 

 tree. 



"Are you acquainted with the troglodyte or, as 

 it is more commonly called, the wren? It is the 

 smallest of our birds, and it too is a master in the 



