298 THE UNIVERSE. ' . ' '. 



The gathering of these nests is dangerous, because the 

 swallows place them in the depths of inaccessible caverns, 

 into which it is necessary to sHde by a rope, or descend 

 by means of long bamboo-ladders. The Chinese, who 

 make a business of collecting them, only begin after they 

 have secured the protection of the gods by certain preli- 

 minary sacrifices, and perfumed the entrance to the pre- 

 cipices with benzoin or other odoriferous substances. 



The nests of these swallows have acquired great cele- 

 brity on account of the use to which they are put in China 

 for food. There they are an indispensable ornament of 

 every grand repast. Broken up into little morsels, they 

 take the place of rice or tapioca in the soup.^ 



But the most charming of our aerial masons is assu- 

 redly the party-coloui'ed wren, crowned with its brilliant 

 crest of gold. Its nests resemble so many reversed extin- 

 guishers, glued by one side to the stems of reeds. These 



' These birds are found in great aloundance in all parts of the Eastern 

 Archipelago, and also on the continent of India ; the nests are collected in large 

 quantities, and constitute an important article of commerce with China. Almost 

 all our knowledge of the mode in which the harvest of nests is managed is de- 

 rived from the island of Java, which produces about 256 cwts. annually. The 

 nests are collected in .Java at three different periods, namely, in March, September, 

 and December. The interval of six months from March to September gives 

 the birds time to rear two broods, and the quantity of nests is consequently 

 greater than at the other two periods of collecting, bnt the produce is generally 

 of inferior quality; the lesser intervals between the collection in September 

 and that in December, and again between the latter and that in March, scarcely 

 allow the birds to get their progeny out of the nests, and many young ones are 

 accordingly destroyed at these periods, but the nests are of superior quality and 

 very white. The prices paid for these nests in the Canton market vary greatly 

 according to the quality: those of the best and purest sort fetch the enormous 

 price of 3500 Spanish dollars ( = 4s. 6d. each) per pecul, or about 25 dollars per 

 pound ; the second quality brings 2800 Spanish dollars per pecul, and the third 

 not more than 1600 dollars. In some parts of China, however, as much as 40 

 dollars has been paid for a catty of birds' nests, or rather more than one pound 

 and a quarter. These expensive articles are principally employed in making 

 soup, but they are also made use of in various ways, and are regarded as a great 

 delicacy by the Chinese epicures. — Goodrich. 



