242 THE INDUSTRIES OF ANIMALS. 



nature in the comfort of the dwelling is introduced by 

 the Baya, and if the facts narrated are correct they are 

 the most marvellous of all. It is a question of lighting 

 up a nest by means of Glow-worms. The Meliconrvis 

 baya inhabits India ; it is a small bird related to the 

 Loxia, already spoken of in this book. Like the 

 latter it constructs a nest that is very well designed 

 and executed. (Fig. 43.) It suspends it in general 

 from a palm tree, but sometimes also from the roofs 

 of houses. In these shelters, woven with extreme art, 

 are always to be found little balls of dry and hardened 

 clay. Why does the bird amass these objects? Is 

 it impelled by a collector's instinct less perfect than 

 that of the Bower-bird ? There is no reason to 

 suppose this. Nor does it appear that he wishes to 

 make the nest heavier and prevent it by this ballast 

 from being blown about by every breeze when the 

 couple are out, and the young not heavy enough to 

 ensure the stability of the edifice. The part played 

 by these little balls is much more remarkable, if we 

 may trust the evidence of the natives, as confirmed 

 by competent European observers. Thus RTr. H. A. 

 Severn writes : — " I have been informed on safe 

 authority that the Indian Bottle-bird protects his 

 nest at night by sticking several of these glow-beetles 

 around the entrance by means of clay ; and only a 

 few days back an intimate friend of my own was 

 watching three rats on a roof-rafter of his bungalow 

 when a glow-fly lodged very close to them ; the rats 

 immediately scampered off."'- These observations are 

 confirmed by Captain Briant, as reported by Pro- 

 fessor R. Dubois.^ In tropical regions luminous 



^ " Notes on the Indian Glow-fly," Nature, 23rd June 1S81. 

 ^ Stience el Nahire, t. iv. (1SS5), No. 94, p. a-JZ. 



