40 



Marvels of the Universe 



vegetable down, and is given additional security by parts of it being pushed through holes made in 

 the leaves and fastened off like the stitches. Sometimes an over-pierced or unhealthy leaf will 

 wither and break away from the twig but still remain attached to the nest. 



As the brood of the tailor-bird is small in number and the materials of the tiny nest light, the 

 strain on the frail supports is not so much as might be imagined, and the bird gcnerall}' succeeds 

 in rearing its brood without mishap. These nests are very difficult to find, and though the birds 

 nested in the grounds of the Indian Museum, where I lived, I never could discover one in situ. 



Many curious nests belong to the felted t^'pe, of which the beautiful structure of our chatfinch 

 is an e.xample ; but, of course, much more skill is required to make a nest of this kind when it has to 



A 



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[«» //. Urnnrohl. 



THE EDIBLE NESTS O.- A SWIFT. 



These edible nests of the Swift are cfiicfly found in Indo-Malaya. and are constructed almost entirely of the birds' saliva. 

 Tlie Chinese use them as material from which they make a glutinous soup, this dish being esteemed a great luxury in 'the 

 Far East. 



be suspended than when it is a mere supported cup. A very celebrated felted nest is that of the Cape 

 Tit, which was well figured by the French traveller, Levaillant, over a century ago ; but he mistakenly 

 attributed it to one of the grass-warblers. The real architect is a tiny, insignificant-looking little 

 bird, and is commonly known to the Boers as the Cotton-bird. It does, indeed, make its nest naturally 

 of plant-down, but since the introduction of sheep the little creature has been quite alert enough 

 to take advantage of the better wool which they provide, just as the tailor-bird takes to our sewing- 

 thread. The nest, which is supported by several twigs of a bush, round which it is built, is entirely 

 made of this wool, vegetable or animal, and seems to be composed of a sort of cloth, so well is it felted 

 together and interwoven, in several separate layers. It is domed over and rainproof, and the 

 entrance is a short tube near the top, below which is a sort of watch-pocket — the cock bird's bed- 

 room according to native report. The late Dr. Stark observed that when the hen left the nest she 



