IN JAVA. 



57 



deserted from the breaking of one or more of their eggs, after 

 incubation Lad progresaed some way ; in others, where there 

 was only one chick, there was often one egg which had been 

 ci-aeked and become dried tip, so that even with all their 

 acute architecttiral devices the wind appears to wreck the 

 hopes of the little builders. 



What cmi he the use of the mud in the Weaver- birds' nests 

 has often been discussed. Mr. h, Layard, the accumte 



TWO FORMS OF THIS KKST OF THE WEAVEH Bim, 



observer and well-known ornithologist, has suggested * that 

 these lumps of mud were uscrl as scrapers on which to clean 

 the birds' bills but if in the nests I found here they were 

 used for this purpose, it must have been only at the commence- 

 ment of their task, fur the layer of mud W(.mld be quite con- 

 cealed at an early stage of their nest-building. I am more 

 inclined to the belief that they are to weight and Udance 

 the nest, from having found loose among the lower stems 

 unfinished portions, which were evidently the foundations of 



