CASSIQUES 
Despite the enemies with which its native jungle abounds—snakes, wild¬ 
cats and monkeys—the cassiques, tropical relatives of American orioles, 
do not trouble to conceal their nests. These long, purse-like structures, 
woven of grass or bark, are suspended from the tips of the highest limbs, 
which are in most cases so frail that no enemy can reach them. For added 
protection the cassiques invariably locate their homes near a nest of wasps, 
whose venomous sting is sufficient to kill a bird and incapacitate any tres¬ 
passer. It is not known whether the wasps live at peace with their avian 
neighbors or whether the birds are merely protected by their heavy, scaly 
plumage. 
A hundred cassiques’ nests are sometimes found hanging near the 
top of a single tall tree. Despite the smallness of the side entrances to the 
nests the birds enter in full flight, creating quite a stir, which, however, 
fails to disturb the wasps. In the evening the colonies of cassiques are 
exceedingly active, flying about, crying discordantly and finally diving into 
the nests. Some of their cries, taken individually, are considered quite 
musical, but when the whole colony sings at once, the tones clash. 
The crested cassique is black in color, with dark-brown underparts. 
Both the beak and the luxuriant tail feathers are yellow. Its head is sur¬ 
mounted by a thin crest. 
In the spring the male goes through a complex display, lowering his 
head, slapping his wings together and opening his plumage fan-wise. At 
the same time he utters a loud crackling noise, said to resemble the sound 
of a tree falling in the forest. The female lays two greenish-blue eggs, 
spotted with dark brown. 
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