12 
CURIOUS NESTS IN AFRICA. 
of emergency, these small birds can build a nest. 
A Canary was observed to commence her labours 
about five o’clock in the morning, from which time, 
till near seven, she worked so hard that it was com- 
pletely finished; ' she had been often disturbed 
before, in consequence of building in inconvenient 
places, which probably induced her to use more than 
ordinary despatch in this nest, availing herself of 
early hours, before people were likely to see and 
interfere. 
An African traveller speaks of some singular 
nests built by birds, which he describes as resem- 
bling our Goldfinch; but he probably mistook them 
for a family of birds nearly allied to them, and 
known to inhabit the Cape of Good Hope. For, 
although Bishop Heber found Goldfinches* at the 
foot of the Snowy Mountains, in India, and in 
some other parts, where they are caught and sold for 
about two shillings each, we are not aware that they 
are known in Africa. The account of the nest, 
however, is very curious, and, at all events, illus- 
trates the social manners of a set of little birds, like 
a brethren dwelling together in unity.” A tree at a 
little distance from our wagon, says the traveller who 
noticed the factt , had two remarkable nests in it. The 
one was about four yards in circumference, and the 
other three, and about a yard in depth. They were 
built of coarse grass. One of these nests had seven- 
teen holes in the bottom, by which the bird enters ; 
* The Goldfinch of the East Indies is the Carduelis 
earriceps, a bird much resembling, but not exactly the 
same as our British species. 
f Campbell’s Travels in Africa , 
