THE OVEN BIRD. 
185 
which it is made is principally mud or clay obtained from the 
river banks, but it is strengthened and stiffened by the admixture 
of grass, vegetable fibres, and stems of various plants. The 
heat of the sun is sufficient to harden it, and when it has been 
thoroughly dried, it is so strong that it seems more like the 
OVEN BIRD. 
handiwork of some novice at pottery than a veritable nest con- 
structed by a bird, the fierce heat of the tropical sun baking the 
clay nearly as hard as brick. 
The ordinary shape of the nest may be seen by reference to 
the illustration, which is drawn from a remarkably fine sped- 
