658 



THE TROPICAL WORLD. 



from that moment took no food, and thus fell a victim to his superstitious despair. 

 This horror of the natives explains the circumstance that it is not yet perfectly ascer- 

 tained whether the devil-bird is an owl (^Syrnium) or a night-hawk. 



The wonderful pendulous nests of the American Cassiques are equalled, if not 

 surpassed, by those of the Indian Baya. These birds are found in most parts of 

 Hindostan ; in shape they resemble the sparrow, as also in the brown feathers of the 

 back and wings ; the head and breast are of a bright yellow, and in the rays of a 

 tropical sun have a splendid appearance when flying by thousands in the same grove. 

 They make a chirping noise, but have no song ; they associate in large communities, 

 and cover clumps of palmyras, acacias, and date-trees with their nests. These are 

 formed in a very ingenious manner by long grass woven together in the shape of a 

 bottle, and suspended by so slender a thread to the end of a flexible branch that even 

 the squirrel dare not venture his body on so fragile a support, however his mouth may 

 water at the eggs and prey within. These nests contain several apartments, appro- 

 priated to different purposes : in one the hen performs the office of incubation; another, 

 consisting of a little thatched roof, and covering a perch without a bottom, is occupied 

 by the male, who cheers the female with his chirping note. 



The Tailor bird of Hindostan (Sylvia sutoria) is equally curious in the structure 

 of its nest, and far superior in the elegance and variety of its plumage, which in the 

 male glows with the varied tints of the colibri. The little artist first selects a plant 

 with large leaves, and then gathers cotton from the shrub, spins it to a thread by 

 means of its long bill and slender feet, and then, as with a needle, sews the leaves 

 neatly together to conceal its nest. 



On turning to the wilds of Africa, the Grosbeak affords us a no less wonderful 

 example of nest-building; for here we find, not one single pair, but hundreds living 

 under the same roof, perfectly resembling that of a thatched house, and with a project- 

 ing ridge, so that it is impossible for any reptile to approach the entrances concealed 

 below. "Their industry," says Paterson, "seems almost equal to that of the bee. 

 Throughout the day they appear to be busily employed in carrying a fine species of 

 grass, which is the principal material they employ for the purpose of erecting this 

 extraordinary work, as well as for additions and repairs. Though my short stay in 

 the country was not sufficient to satisfy me, by ocular proof, that they added to their 

 nest as they annually increased in numbers, still from the many trees which I have 

 seen borne down by the weight, and others which I have observed with their boughs 

 completely covered over, it would appear that this really was the case. When the tree 

 which is the support of this aerial city is obliged to give way to the increase of weight, 

 it is obvious they are no longer protected, and are under the necessity of rebuilding in 

 other trees. One of these deserted nests I had the curiosity to break down, so as to 

 inform myself of its internal structure, and I found it equally ingenious with that of 

 the external. There are many entrances, each of which forms a separate street with 

 nests on both sides, at about two inches distant from each other." 



Though far less ingenious, yet the nest of the Korwe {Tockus erythrorynchus) is 

 too curious to be passed over in silence. The female having entered her breeding- 

 place, in one of the natural cavities of the mopane tree, a species of bauhinia, the 

 male plasters up the entrance, leaving only a narrow slit by which to feed his mate, 

 and which exactly suits the form of his beak. The female makes a nest of her own 



