BIRDS 



459 



reeds are used as a support. Many woven nests are roofed 

 over, and have an opening at the side, as in the case of the 

 Long-tailed Tit {Acredula caudata), which has a more elaborate 

 home than any other British bird. Compared to the owner it 

 is of large dimensions, and ovoid in shape. Moss, wool, and 

 cobwebs are the chief materials used, all carefully interwoven. 

 The outside is studded with bits of lichen, while the inside is 

 lined with hair and feathers. One observer had the curiosity 

 to count the number of 

 the latter embodied in a 

 single nest and made a 

 total of 2379, so that this 

 item only must involve 

 an enormous amount of 

 patient labour. When 

 the parents are " not at 

 home" the aperture is said 

 to be closed by a feather. 

 Some of the glands of the 

 mouth secrete a sticky 

 fluid, which is of import- 

 ance in softening and 

 working up the material 

 used in neat and elaborate 

 nests like this one; cob- 

 webs, too, prove useful as 

 an adhesive. The Pen- 

 duline Tit ( ^githalus 

 pendulinus, fig. 980) of South Europe constructs an equally 

 elaborate hanging nest, which is entered by a sort of passage, 

 that has suggested comparison with a bottle, though a better 

 simile would be afforded by a short-necked retort. 



The Indian Tailor-Bird {Ortkotomus s2ito7Hus, fig. 981) con- 

 structs a hanging nest with extraordinary ingenuity, by sewing 

 together a couple of long leaves into a sort of funnel, within 

 which a soft bed of cotton is placed for the reception of the 

 eggs. The sewing material is made of cotton, and sometimes, 

 at least, is twisted by the bird itself, which is also credited with 

 making a knot for the usual purpose. The Fan-tail Warbler 

 {Cisticola cursitans) of South Europe builds a globular nest 



Penduline Tit i^JEgithalus pendulin-us) and Nest 



