COURTS OF JUSTICE 145 



but also these wise feathered people seem to make 

 very good politicians. Perhaps the best example 

 of republicanism is found among the grossbeaks. 

 Sometimes a thousand of these little beings build 

 their nests in one huge tree and form a veritable 

 aerial city. This city is more like an immense apart- 

 ment house, where each has his individual apart- 

 ment, yet all is one vast building, elegantly cov- 

 ered with a roof which rises above the summit of 

 the tree. They have no special offices of honour, 

 but each bird is free to answer for himself, and 

 lead his own life like a gentleman. 



Many birds have adopted this mode of life, thus 

 carrying out the idea of Aristophanes' aerial city — 

 isolated from land and water. Levaillant describes 

 one of these umbrella-like structures: "I caused it 

 to be brought to me, by several men, who set it on 

 a vehicle. I cut it with an axe, and saw that it was 

 in the main a mass of Booschmannie grass, without 

 any mixture, but so strongly woven together that 

 it was impossible for the rain to penetrate. This is 

 onlj the framework of the edifice; each bird con- 

 structs for himself a separate nest under the com- 

 mon pavilion. The nests occupy only the reverse 

 of the roof; the upper part remains empty, without, 

 however, being useless; for, raised more than the 

 remainder of the pile, it gives to the whole sufficient 



