306 THE UNIVERSE. 



only their beaks for looms, which they use with great ac- 

 tivity in order to interlace the fine stems of the grasses, 

 and form a sort of membrane difficnlt to tear. These 

 Avinged workers construct different kinds of dwellings. 

 Some consist of a sort of purse, having in the interior 

 several little ijanniers affixed to its sides, in which the 

 female places her brood. In this case the entrance is fre- 

 quently situated at the lower part, which represents a kind 

 of gaping funnel: this is the fashion adopted by some 

 Troopials. Others are simply long and large sacks with 

 one or more openings, which the aerial artisans suspend to 

 the branches of trees. 



On this account the name of weavers has been given 

 to a tribe of sparrows remarkable for the perfection of 

 their work, but other birds imitate their industry although 

 they belong to different families. 



Some Aveavers, less skilful, content themselves with 

 twisting grass rudely together, and forming a little cup 

 of it, in which the female lies deeply ensconced. It is in 

 this that she carefully hatches her eggs, Avatching all about 

 her. The Fondia erythrops builds one of these nests of 

 imperfect tissue. 



The Black-headed Synalaxis is a much better artisan, 

 being a first-class weaver, if not in respect to the finish 

 of her work, at least in resi^ect to its solidity. She builds 

 her nest Avitli grass, entAvining it in a compact and inextri- 

 cable manner. Tliis nest is of a globular form, and only 

 displays a little entrance on one of its sides, through 

 Avhich the bird is able to pass Avith difficulty. 



The orioles and the Baltimore -Ijirds deserve to lie men- 

 tioned in the first rank among another kind of A\orkmen 

 on account of the large bag-shaped nests which they hang 

 to the trees, and in Avhich they rear their young. 



