228 BIRDS' NESTS 



masses of lichen hanging from the underside of a 

 branch, the two ends of the cradle being prolonged 

 and interwoven with the drooping tree moss. It was 

 made almost entirely of moss roots, with a few small 

 bits of dead moss bound together with cobwebs and 

 lined with the very finest stems of grasses and one 

 flower head of the same. Then, again, the nests of 

 the Rock Nuthatches are very interesting. The nest 

 of the Syrian Rock Nuthatch {Sitta syriaca), for in- 

 stance, is attached to rocks and domed, or rather 

 semi-globular, like that of the House Martin, with a 

 long spout-like entrance about an inch in diameter. 

 The external part of this nest is made of mud, the 

 interior being lined with a large quantity of felted 

 hair. It is very strongly and solidly built, time in- 

 creasing its stability, for in some cases at least it 

 is used for the same purpose year after year. 



Passing on to the Waxwings (Ampelidce), we have 

 already seen that the normal type of nest is open and 

 cup-shaped, but the home of one of the more aberrant 

 members of the family is not only a very curious one, 

 but owing to its shape requires notice here. This is 

 the nest of the so-called " Palm Sparrow " (Dulus 

 dominicus), a species inhabiting San Domingo, and to 

 which island it is apparently confined. Several pairs 

 of these birds build in company, forming a kind of 

 co-operative nest, like some of the Weaver Pinches 

 already described. These nests are described by Dr 

 Christy as quite an armful of twigs interwoven into a 



