PENDULOUS NESTS. 
185 
— “ The Cape titmouse constructs its luxurious nest of 
the pappus, or down of a species of Aselepius. This 
nest is made of the texture of flannel, and the fleecy 
hosiery is not more soft. Near the upper end projects 
a small tube about an inch in length, with an oriflce 
about three-fourths of an inch in diameter. Immedi- 
ately under the tube is a small hole in the side, that has 
no communication with the interior part of the nest. 
In this hole the male sits at nights, and thus they are 
both screened from the weather.” Mr. Barrow makes 
a general remark, that “ most of the small birds of 
of Southern Africa construct their nests in such a man- 
ner that they can he entered only by one small orifice, 
and many suspend them from the slender extremities of 
high branches.” 
(158.) The pendulous nest of the American hang- 
nests {^Icte.rida'), formerly called orioles, are much of 
the same shape as that of the Parus pendulinus. These 
birds, however, are much larger, few of the species 
being under the size of a thrush, and two or three, like 
Cassicus crisiatus*, twice as big. The nests are con- 
sequently much larger, some of them measuring between 
four and five feet. It is a most beautiful and novel 
sight to the European to see hundreds of these pensile 
fabrics suspendeil from the extremity of the branches 
of a single treet, generally the most lofty, and accom- 
panied by the birds themselves, either thickly crow'ded 
on the branches, or going and returning in all directions : 
the vivid yellow and black J, or black and red§ of 
their plumage, giving a splendour to the animation of 
the scene, which does not belong to the rookeries of 
Europe. There can he no doubt that pendulous nests, 
which are much more common in tropical than in tem- 
perate latitudes, are admirably calculated to guard the 
eggs and young, not only from the numerous snakes 
which frequent trees, hut also from the insidious arts 
of the cuckows, or the marandering habits of the hush 
• Birds of Brazil, vol. i. pt 32. f Birds of Brazil, pi. 4. 
t Cassicus icteroiiotus, ibid., pi. S. 
- ^ Cassicus affinis and C. ha?morrhoiis, ibid. i. pL 1, 2. 
