34-8 
STRANGE DWELLINGS . 
stance of the nest-walls was the soft, white down produced by 
certain plants, and that the birds used an enormous amount of 
materials in comparison with their own size. As, however, they 
found that upon the naturalist’s table was always a plentiful 
supply of vegetable down and fibres ready plucked, they in- 
geniously saved themselves the trouble of collecting, and simply 
resorted to the hospitable tent. 
The male was the principal collector of materials, and the 
female the chief architect. He used to fly off, and return with 
a mass of cotton-wool, moss, or tow, and deposit it close to the 
spot where his mate was at work. Then she would take the 
materials, arrange them, press them into form, and only ask his 
assistance in carrying out her plans. He pressed, and pecked 
and pulled the cotton-wool so as to reduce it to a kind of felt, 
but did not seem to originate any architectural ideas, leaving 
them to his more ingenious mate. 
Le Vaillant’s account of the mode of working is so interesting 
and elegant that in justice to himself it must be given in his 
own words. After describing the process of fetching materials 
and laying them in their places, he proceeds as follows : — 
4 This agreeable occupation was often interrupted by innocent 
and playful gambols, though the female appeared to be so 
actively and anxiously employed about her building as to have 
less relish for trifling than the male, and she even punished him 
for his frolics by pecking him well with her beak. He, on the 
other hand, fought in his turn, pecked, pulled down the work 
which they had done, prevented the female from continuing 
her labours, and, in a word, seemed to tell her, “ On account 
of this work you refuse to be my playmate, therefore you shall 
not do it.” 
4 It will scarcely be credited that, entirely from what I saw 
and knew respecting these little altercations, I was both sur- 
prised and angry at the female. In order, however, to save the 
fabric from spoliation, she left off working, and fled from bush to 
bush, for the express purpose of teasing him. Soon afterwards, 
having made matters up again, the female returned to her 
labour, and the male sang for several minutes in the most 
