228 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[,) UN I'jj 
covered wire, can induce magnetism in a bar of soft iron 
placed within the coil, and in this last cast, a permanent 
—or steel-bar magnet can induce electricity when placed 
within a similar coil of covered wire. 
Most Wonderful, Indeed, 
is this matter of induction ; and I have given some space 
examining the various styles of nests, and will wonder, 
as many others have done, why some birds get along 
with very little trouble in preparing their nests, and 
others take the greatest pains in making them. 
But as curious and pains-taking as the nests of some 
of our birds are, what shall we say to a bird which builds 
these bowers are merely pleasure halls. The birds and 
their Bower are shown in figure 1. But as strange 
as this is, what will you say to a bird that not only builds 
a bower or hut, but makes a garden in front of it 1 The 
European gardening journals that have come of late, 
have accounts of a remarkable style of gardening—done 
Fig. 1. —THE BOWER BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
to telling you about it, as, until it was discovered, it was 
not possible to have either Telegraph or Telephone— 
and it is not possible to understand the Telephone, un¬ 
less you have a general notion of this. More than this— 
it shows how closely magnetism and electricity are re¬ 
lated, as we see that either can produce the other. In 
the next paper I hope to get to the Telephone itself, so 
keep in mind this talk about induction. The Doctor. 
Aliosst sossic very Curiotus Birds, 
Those of you who live in the country with your eyes 
open—many, and not young persons altogether, are 
practically blind, for though they have eyes, they see but J 
little that goes on about them—can find much to interest 
them in watching the ways of birds. Indeed, those who 
live in villages and towns cau enjoy something of this, 
but the birds that will stay about houses are fewer than 
In places where there are woods and shrubs. It is very 
curious to examine some birds' nests when built, and still 
more interesting to watch the birds when building. If 
you would observe them at work, you must be very 
patient, and keep very still. When the birds find that 
you do not intend to harm them, they will go on with 
their work. But if you pounce in among them, as if to 
say, “ Here I am 1 I want to see you work, now go 
ahead! ” you will see nothing at all. Take a seat, keep 
quiet, and wait. Such a bringing of bits, such a talking 
it over, and such a time generally as many birds make 
over nest building, is well worth watching. Then, when 
nests are finished, what a wide difference ! Some, a mere 
hollow in the sand, or among the grass, hardly cost any 
labor; then others are rough sticks, with a little grass or 
other soft material upon which the eggs are to rest. 
How different are these from the carefully woven nest 
of the common Robin, with its foundation of coarse 
straw and weeds, all finely plastered, and then lined with 
moss and soft material. The Robin’s nest is a coarse 
affair when compared with that of the little Humming 
Bird, built of soft down from the ferns, and so carefully 
covered by lichens, all neatly giued on, that it looks so 
like a lichen (or “moss’’) covered knot, as to be but 
rarely discovered. These nests are all interesting, but 
among our birds the Oriole, or Golden Robin, shows the 
greatest ingenuity. It makes a long bag, which is woven 
of the strong bark of weeds, of strings, ravelings, or any 
other such material as it can find, and doesn’t object to 
a bit of lace edging, or other finery that it may come 
across ; this nest it hangs to a slender twig, where it is 
far out of the reach of boys, who know it as the “Hang- 
bird’s nest.’’ All these affairs built by our birds, are for 
use ; they are places in which the eggs are to be laid, 
and young ones reared. You will be much interested in 
a house just for the fun of it—not to be used as a nest, 
but just to frolic in I It seems so strange a story that we 
should find it difficult to believe it, had not several natur¬ 
alists given an account of these Bower Birds of Australia, 
and their structures been taken to Europe. Strong 
grasses are stuck up in such a manner that they meet at 
the top, stones being put around to hold them in place. 
As these houses are not for use, but for sport, the birds 
decorate them with gay feathers and leaves, and wbat is 
still m re strange, they bring bones and shells from a long 
distance, merely to beautify the place. Here the birds 
moot and, according to the accounts, have a great time 
in romping and mating, though sometimes the males 
have serious fights. Their nests are built in the trees; 
by birds. Au Italian naturalist, who has been exploring 
and collecting new and rare plants in New Guinea— 
which you know is an island just north of Australia, 
and not far below the Equator—brought home specimens 
of a new plant, an Orchid, and gives an account of the 
curious use made of its stems by the natives—that is, 
the feathered natives. You all may not know that 
among the family of plants called Orchids, are some of 
the most showy and curious of all plants; they are much 
valued by cultivators, and some of those in tropical 
countries grow upon the branches of trees, and never in 
the ground. The Gardener Bird is related to the Bird of 
Paradise, but is not, like that, a brilliant bird, it having 
brown plumage, and is about the size of a dove. The 
bird chooses a level place, where there is the stem of a 
shrub about the size of a common walking-stick. Around 
this it builds up a cone of moss, to make a central pillar 
about two feet high. Then twigs are placed all around, 
one end resting on this pillar, and the other on the 
ground, all at regular distances, to make a hut, us seen 
in figure 2, about three feet across. These twigs are all 
of a new Orchid discovered by Signor Bescari, the natur¬ 
alist, which remain alive for a long time. Having built 
its house, and of course left an opening for a door, this 
bird does what the natives of the island have not learned 
to do, it immediately goes to work to fix up its front 
yard, or make what the writer calls a garden. It brings 
nice, clean moss, and places it carefully in front, and 
partly around the house, taking care to remove every 
stick and stone. When the lawn is ready, like a good 
gardener, the bird lays out its flower-beds; but it has not 
quite learned all about gardening, and does not cultivate, 
but it picks all the bright flowers, and brilliant berries, 
and other fruits, and places them in groups upon its 
turf of moss. When these fade, they are taken away 
and replaced by fresh ones. The traveler evidently took 
more notice of plants than of birds, as there are several 
things he omits to tell that we should like to know; he 
does not tell us about the nest, though he speaks of this 
as “the home” of the bird, and that' the flowers and 
fruits are gifts brought by the male bird to please its 
mate. He says that the natives call the bird Buruk 
Gurea, which means “master-bird,” and that they never 
destroy the nests, even if in the way. The bird imitates 
the songs and screams of other birds, and in that way 
often mislead hunters. It is, at any rate, a most curi¬ 
ous bird, and we hope that some one who visits its coun¬ 
try will tell us more about it. The plan of the house and 
garden are shown in figure 3, given on page 227. The 
small circle is the central pillar of moss ; the outer circle 
is the stems that form the hut ; the outer line shows the 
extent of the garden of moss, and the spots between 
this and the house, show the groups of flowers and fruits. 
Fig. 2.— TUE GARDENER BIRDS OF NEW GUINEA. 
