NEST OF THE KUSAPPI. 
419 
The shape it assumes has long been familiar to us. It resem- 
bles the fourth part of an egg-shell, taking it in its major dia- 
meter. It lies open on the top, and the rock to which it is attached 
forms the back. The sides are exceedingly »thin. The upper edge 
is prolonged until it forms on each side a kind of substantial wing, 
which keeps the nest fast to the wall of the cliff. The substance is 
translucid, of a whitish or brownish tint, with transversal, undulating- 
striae, disposed in more or less parallel lines. Bernstein thinks that 
the darker and browner nests, which are also the less valuable, are 
old nests, in which the young have been brought up ; and that the 
whiter nests are those of more recent construction. Other observers 
refer these differently coloured nests to two distinct species of birds. 
" But, as I was never able," says Bernstein, " to procure any bird 
caught in a brown-coloured nest, I shall not venture to decide the 
question." Moreover, all kinds of intermediate shades are found 
between the white nests and the brown, and present the same arrange- 
ment ; a fact which seems to show that they belong to the same 
species. In many nests, the internal surface is completely reticulated, 
owing to the drying up and contraction of the material employed; 
often, too, feathers are embedded in the sides. 
The nest of the kusappi, or Collocalia fuciphaga, bears a close 
resemblance externally to that of the salanganes properly so called; 
but it differs essentially in being wrought of the stems of grasses. 
The gelatinous matter is used only for the purpose of fastening these 
stems together. Further, it is abundant chiefly on the posterior 
part, and notably in the two winglets which prolong rearward the 
upper border or rim. These winglets are often wanting, especially 
when the nest is of a solid construction. 
In some Eastern lands the edible nests form the staple of a really 
important commerce. The most productive localities are the caverns 
on the south coast of Java. Epp describes his visit to some which 
exist in the limestone cliffs of Karang-Kalong, and are worked by the 
Dutch Government. These cliffs are washed at their base by the 
rolling waters of the Indian Ocean ; their summit is crowned by a 
small fort, with a garrison of twenty-five men, for the protection of the 
