236 



HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



slender bill is notched in a saw-like fashion on the edges of both 

 mandibles. These serrations do not reach along the whole bill 

 but only to a short distance from the tip. In appearance it is 

 not so strikingly beautiful as many of the humming birds, and 

 is chiefly remarkable for its reddish throat dotted with white, 

 and having a black mark down its centre. There are several 

 humming birds which have the serrated edges to the mandibles, 

 and are in consequence called Sawbills, but the present species 

 is the most worthy of notice with respect to its nest. Tt is only 

 found in the south of Brazil. 



riAWBlLL HUMMINU UIIUJ. bKAZlLlAN WUUD NVMPM. WdlTblSlUk:!) UILL STAR. 



The nest of the Sawbill is made of fine vegetable fibres, woven 

 together so as to look like an open network purse, the outer 

 walls being so loosely made as to permit the eggs and lining to 

 be visible. Leaves, mosses, and lichens are also woven into the 

 nest, and are packed ratlier tightly under the eggs. The edge, 

 however, is always left loose. The nest is suspended at the end 

 of some leaf, usually that of the palm. 



