THE SCCIAIi WDAVEK BIKD. 410 



its post and seek for water. The man then scrambled down the 

 tree, and made the best of his way homewards, little the worse 

 for his imprisonment except the fright, and a skin scorched by 

 long exposure to the sun. The artist has introduced this little 

 episode into the illustration, because it enables the reader to 

 judge of the enormous size of the nest. 



Season after season the Weaver Birds continue to add their 

 nests, until at last the branch is unable to endure the weight, 

 and comes crashing to the ground. This accident does not 

 often occur during the breeding months, but mostly takes place 

 during the rainy season, the dried grass absorbing so much 

 moisture, that the weight becomes too great for the branch to 

 bear. 



The nest group which is shown in the illustration is of 

 medium size, as can be ascertained by its shape. lu its early 

 state, the nest-mass is comparatively long and narrow, spreading 

 out by degrees as the number of nests increases, so that at last 

 it is as wide and as shallow as an extended umbrella. The 

 dimensions of some of these structures may be gathered from the 

 fact, that Le Vaillant counted in one unfinished edifice, beside 

 the deserted nests of previous seasons, no less than three 

 hundred and twenty nests, each of which was occupied by a 

 pair of birds engaged in bringing up a brood of young, four or 

 five in number. 



Those who are acquainted with Borneo and the customs of its 

 inhabitants, cannot fail to perceive the analogy between these 

 social nests of the Weaver Bird and the " long houses " of the 

 Dyaks, each of which houses is in fact one entire village, 

 sheltering a whole community under a single roof. 



The Weaver Birds have but few enemies. First, there are the 

 snakes, which are such determined robbers of nests, swallowing 

 both eggs and young ; and then there are the monkeys, which 

 are capable of sad depredations whenever they can find an oppor- 

 tunity. Monkeys are extremely fond of eggs, and there is scarcely 

 a better bribe to a monkey, ape, or baboon, than a fresh raw egg. 

 The bird which laid it is almost as great a dainty, and a monkey 

 seems to be in the height of enjoyment if a newly-killed bird be 

 put into its paws. It always begins by eating the brain, and 

 then tears the carcase to pieces with great deliberation. A 

 mouse is quite as much appreciated as a bird, provided 



£ £ 2 



