206 BIRDS' NESTS 



Feilden discovered a nest of this species fastened to 

 the edge of a leaf of a prickly pear, and was so com- 

 pletely deceived by its general resemblance to the 

 fruit growing on the same bush that he could scarcely 

 believe it was not a "pear," his attention being 

 attracted in the first instance by seeing a female 

 crouching apparently upon the top of one. Various 

 other instances belonging to different families remain 

 to be described in future pages. Another equally 

 significant fact in the philosophy of these open nests 

 is that the majority of them are made by species in 

 which the female (or both male and female) are dull 

 in colour, whilst the eggs are generally spotted, very 

 exceptionally white and devoid of markings. In such 

 cases where the eggs are of pale and conspicuous 

 tints, we find that the female is protectively coloured 

 as she broods over them, or when left unguarded in 

 the nest during her absence, she carefully covers them 

 with bits of vegetation or down until she returns. 



