THE LIVING WORLD. 
356 
small black and white bird, builds a nest which in appearance is. almost the 
counterpart of one end of a saddle-bag when opened, the ends of which are tied 
by means of thread to extremities of a longitudinal branch, so that it is a most 
comfortable pouch in which the bird sets well concealed. 
The Golden Oriole ( Oriolus galbula ), a near relative of the Baltimore oriole, 
constructs a nest of equal neatness and ingenuity, though not so long. It is 
formed of a mesh of leaves finely interlaced in true weaver manner, in the shape 
of a circular cup, and is attached to the bifurcation of two branches by means 
of threads usually purloined from 
some neighboring dwelling. 
The Long-tailed Titmouse 
(.Parus caudatus ) constructs a nest 
quite as curious in appearance as 
his Cape cousin. It is generally 
built in some cane-bearing tree, 
nearly globular in shape, made of 
moss, with so small an opening as 
to scarcely admit the body of this 
little bird. Small as is the nest, ! 
scarcely larger than one’s fist, it 
serves to house a numerous brood, | 
there being generally ten or twelve 
young in each nest. 
The Jupuba Cassicus (Casstcus 
hcemorrhus ), of South America, im¬ 
itates our oriole in its ingenuity 
for nest building, as it imitates 
the domestic fowls of its neighbor¬ 
hood with its wonderfully flexible 
voice and power of mimicry. The 
nest is woven of grass fibres into 
a rather slim bag some two feet 
in length, with a slit in the .upper 
part for entrance. This purse-bag 
is generally suspended from the 
point of a dead limb, usually near 
a water-course, and sometimes with¬ 
in a few inches of the water. 
The Grass Weaver (. Fondia 
erythrops ), though a weaver, con¬ 
structs her nest at the expense of 
little labor, and exhibits an indiffer¬ 
ence to appearances. It is made of coarse fibres interlaced, woven into the shape 
of a cup and attached to a couple of reeds that proj ect above the water or boggy 
The Red Wing ( Turdus iliacus ) is not a weaver, but builds with no less 
skill than do birds dexterous with the needle-bill. Its nest is wrought from 
mosses, and bits of grass daintily fashioned into a beautiful cup, which is care¬ 
fully lined with mud and saliva. This lining soon dries and then bears some 
NEST OF THE GOLDEN ORIOLE. 
