HOUSE-BUILDING BIRDS. 



659 



feathers, lays her eggs, hatches them, and remains with the young till they are fully 

 fledged. During all this time, which is stated to be two or three months, the male 

 continues to feed her and the young family. The prisoner generally becomes quite 

 fat, and is esteemed a very dainty morsel by the natives, while the poor slave of a 

 husband gets so lean and weak, that on the sudden lowering of the temperature, which 

 sometimes happens after a fall of rain, he is benumbed, falls down, and dies. 



All pensile birds are remarkable for the eccentricity of shape and design which 

 marks their nests ; though they agree in one point, that they dangle at the end of 

 twigs, and dance about merrily at every breeze. Some are long, others short ; some 

 have the entrance at the side, others at the bottom, others near the top. Some are 

 hung like hammocks from one twig to another ; others are -suspended to the extremity 

 of the twig itself ; while others built in palms, which have no true branches, and no 

 twigs at all, are fastened to the extremities of the leaves. Some are made of fine 

 fibres, and others of the coarsest straws. Some are so loose in their texture that the 

 eggs can be plainly seen through them ; while others are so strong and thick, that one 

 might suppose them to be constructed by a professional thatcher. 



The illustration on the following page presents a group of nests of several species of 

 the African Weavers. In the right-hand upper corner are the curious nests of the 

 Mahali Weaver {Pliopasser mahali) accompanied by the birds themselves. Although 

 the bird measures only six inches in length its nest is of considerable size, and is 

 formed of quite stout substances. In shape it is not unlike an ordinary Florence 

 flask, only three times the size, with the neck shortened and widened. Its surface, 

 however, is rough, the large straws of which it is composed pointing downwards to 

 the entrance of the nest, which is at the bottom. Next below are three rows of the 

 nests of the Spotted-back Weavers {Ploceus spilonatus), which are represented as at- 

 tacked by monkeys, some of whom, assailed by the birds, are getting well-ducked for 

 their pains. Still below, rather in the background, are two nests of the Ploceus Ca- 

 pensis, woven into palm-leaves. Below this, in the left corner, is a nest of the Yellow- 

 Weaver {Ploceus oculanus), shaped somewhat like a chemist's retort, with the bulb 

 uppermost, or more nearly like a huge old-fashioned pistol, hanging butt upward. The 

 nest is made of grass about as large as a small twine, interwoven with great skill. 

 This is only partly shown. At the right corner is a nest of the Taha Weaver {Euplec- 

 tes taha), a pretty little bird, which is no great favorite with the African farmers, for 

 it is very numerous, especially in cultivated regions, and has no scruples about helping 

 itself to the produce of the gardens, whose owners are obliged to keep up a keen 

 watch if they expect to secure a fair share of the crops. Lastly, in the bottom centre, 

 is the nest of the Yellow-capped Weaver {Ploceus icterocephalus). This nest is re- 

 markable for the extreme neatness and compactness of its structure. The body of the 

 nest is of seed-stems so closely interwoven that it can be handled, or even kicked like 

 a foot-ball, without being destroyed. The interior is lined with layers of flat leaves, 

 kept in place by their own elasticity, which afford a smooth^ soft resting-place for the 

 eggs and young birds. 



Parrots have so many points of resemblance to monkeys in their tastes and habits, 

 that notwithstanding their different appearance, one might almost be tempted to call 

 them near relations. As the monkey never sets foot on the ground if he can help it, 

 but springs from branch to branch of trees, so the parrot is rarely seen walking. His 



