394 T R A V E L S I N 
cite, no doubt, your difguft. Your cleanly 
mouths, your falve-foftened lips, would refufe 
this fraternal communication. For my part, I 
was moved even to tears^ and throwing myfclf 
into the arms of this venerable chief I prefled 
him clofely to my heart. 
In the courfe of my laft day's journey, I 
had obferved on the way a tree, with an enor- 
mous neft of thofe birds to which I have 
given the appellation of republicans ; and I 
had intended, as foon as I arrived at my camp, 
to fend and have it cut down, that I might 
open the hive, and examine its firudure in its 
minuteft parts. Accordingly I difpatched a 
few men with a waggon to bring it to me, 
\Vhen it arrived, I cut it to pieces with a 
hatchet, and fav/ that the principal and fun^ 
damenta! piece con l ifted of a mafs of Bofh-^ 
men's grafs, v/ithout any mixture, but fo 
compad: and firmly, knit together as to be 
impenetrable to the rain. 1 his nucleus is 
the commencement of the ftrii(!^lure ; and 
each bird. builds and applies to it its particular 
neft. But theCe cells are formed only beneath 
and around the mafs; the upper furface re- 
mains void, without, howeverj being ufelefs | 
for, 
