42 THE BIRDS OF CALCUTTA. 



however, doubtless feels that as the only member of 

 the melodious family of warblers commonly seen about 

 here, it is due to his position to make his presence felt. 

 So, when the spirit moves him, he shouts " to-whee, 

 to-whee, to-whee," with such vigour that he gets 

 black on the side of the neck, having a cunningly 

 concealed patch of that colour there which only shows 

 when he is calling. Mrs. Durzee, no doubt, admires 

 both hue and cry, for, unlike most of our warblers at 

 home, Durzee goes in for conspicuous superiority to 

 his nuate, at any rate in the breeding season, for then 

 he alone sports a tail about twice the usual length, and 

 elegantly tapered off. Except for this, the Tailor-bird 

 is in build very like our English wren, and were it- 

 brown, instead of green above and white below, might 

 pass for one with a hasty observer, especially as its 

 habits are very similar ; it is generally sohtary, and 

 equally lively on its legs when hopping on bush or 

 lawn, and weak on the wing when it trusts itself to 

 flight. Like " Jenny," too, our sartorial artist is' 

 insectivorous, and will tackle insects of good size, 

 though he reUes on his bill alone to manipulate them. 

 This makes it the more remarkable that he is able to 

 build the wonderful nest which gives him his name and 

 his reputation. A bird which puts its foot to a thing, 

 as the even more clever weaver-bird does, has a great 

 advantage over one which has but one instrument t© 



