Homes Without Hands: Being a Description of the Habitations of Animals, Classed According to Their Principle of Construction

The reason for its mention in this work is the singular structure of its nest, which is described by Mr. Gould in the following words:

"One of the most interesting points connected with the history of this species is the situation chosen for its nest.

Ptilotus Sonorus. Sericornis Citreogularis.

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Entomophila Picta.

Entomophila Albogularis. Origma Rubricata.

"All those who have rambled in the Australian forests must have observed that, in their more dense and humid parts, an atmosphere peculiarly adapted for the rapid and abundant growth of mosses of various kinds is generated, and that these mosses not only grow upon the trunks of decayed trees, but are often accumulated in large masses at the extremities of the drooping branches. These masses often become of sufficient size to admit of the bird constructing a nest in the centre of them, with so much of art that it is impossible to distinguish it from any of the other pendulous masses in the vicinity. These bunches are frequently a yard in length, and in some places hang so near the ground as to strike the head of the explorer during his rambles; in others they are placed high up on the trees, but only in such parts of the forest where there is an open space entirely shaded by overhanging foliage. As will be readily conceived, in whatever situations they are met with, they at all times form a remarkable and conspicuous feature in the landscape.

"Although the nest is constantly disturbed by the wind, and liable to be shaken when the tree is disturbed, so secure does the inmate consider itself from danger or intrusion of any kind, that I have frequently captured the female while sitting on her eggs, a feat that may always be accomplished by carefully placing the hand over the entrance—that is, if it can be detected, to effect which no slight degree of close prying and examination is necessary.

"The nest is formed of the inner bark of trees, intermingled with green moss, which soon vegetates; sometimes dried grasses and fibrous roots form part of the materials of which it is composed, and it is warmly lined with feathers. The eggs, which are three in number, and much elongated in form, vary considerably in color, the most constant tint being a clove-brown, freckled over the end with dark umber-brown, frequently assuming the form of a complete band or zone; their medium length is one inch, and their breadth eight lines."

If the reader will bear in mind the remarkable shape of this and a few other nests, he will see, in a future page, how wonderful is the resemblance between the pensile nests of birds and insects.

PENSILE birds do not always suspend their nests to the branches of trees, but in some instances choose exactly the localities which appear to be the most unsuited for the purpose. Still keeping to Australia, we may find a most wonderful example of a pensile nest near mountain courses. The bird which makes it is called, indifferently, the ROCK WARBLER, or the CATARACT BIRD (Origma rubricata), because it is always found where watercourses rush through rocky ground. So attached is the bird to these localities, that it is never seen in the forest, nor ever has been observed to perch upon a branch. The generic name, Origma, is derived from a Greek word signifying a rock or a precipice, and is more appropriate than are many scientific titles.

It is a small bird, no larger than our sparrow, and is soberly colored, the general hue being brown, relieved by a dull red on the breast, something like that of the female robin. It has a melodious though not very powerful note; but its chief claims to admiration are founded upon the extraordinary nest which it builds. In general shape this nest somewhat resembles a claret jug without a handle, having a long, slender neck and a globular and suddenly-rounded bulb.

It is suspended from the rocks in sheltered places, and wherever an overhanging ledge of rock affords protection from the elements there the strange nests may be found. Just as the martins take a fancy to some favored spot, and build whole rows of nests on one side of some particular house, utterly disdaining neighboring houses which, to all appearance, afford exactly the same advantages, so do the Rock Warblers affect some particular rock, and hang their nests by dozens in close proximity to each other. The material of the nest is the long moss which is plentiful in the country; and, as may be seen from the illustration, the entrance is near the centre of the rounded bulb. In consequence of the material of which the nest is constructed, it is very rough on the exterior, though smooth and comfortable enough within.

AUSTRALIA certainly produces some of the most singular objects in the world. Among the many varieties of birds'-nests which are found in this region, there is one of a very curious form, resembling very greatly a common cottage loaf, and being in fact a double nest, one being placed upon the other.

The bird which makes this nest is termed the YELLOW-TAILED ACANTHIZA (Acanthiza chrysorrhea), and is not uncommon in different parts of Australasia. It is rather a neat-looking bird, the colors being beautifully blended together. The back and upper parts are greenish, like the hue of our common wood-wren, and below it is pale yellow, while there is a patch of bright golden yellow at the base of the tail. As if to contradict the popular idea that the birds of Australia have no song, the Yellow-tailed Acanthiza sings a bright, cheerful note, very like that of the goldfinch, so that it is in all points a pleasing little bird.

It is seldom seen on the wing, or, at all events, seldom flies to any distance, as it prefers to remain on the ground, or in the bush, and when disturbed will fly for a few yards and then settle again. It is generally found in small flocks, consisting of six or ten in number, and as it is by no means timid, will allow itself to be approached closely before it takes alarm.

The nest is a very remarkable structure. In most cases it is formed as has just been mentioned, a little nest being stuck on the large one. The materials of which it is made are grass, wood, and leaves, and the structure is rather loose and careless. Generally it is suspended from the delicate mimosa branches, especially in Van Diemen's Land; but when it builds in gardens, as is often the case, it mostly prefers a low shrub for that purpose. Unfortunately for the bird, the bronze cuckoo has a predilection for its nest, and lays its eggs therein. Whenever this is the case, the parasitic bird takes entire possession of the nest, and no other young are found in it.

The supplementary nest is not invariably present, and both the size and shape are extremely variable. The reader may perhaps remember that the Pinc-Pinc of Africa (Drymoica textrix) has a similar custom, constructing a supplementary roosting-place upon the nest. The home of the Pinc-pinc is of much firmer structure than that of the Yellow-tailed Acanthiza, being made of vegetable fibres, interwoven so strongly and elaborately that a thick, felt-like substance is produced. The entrance to the nest is formed in a tubular shape, and projects for an inch or two, so as to look like a spout, and near the entrance is constructed a rounded projection on which a bird can repose.

Some persons think that the male bird uses this perch, and that he posts himself by the entrance in order to act as a sentry and to keep guard over the inmates. It is more probable, however, that the projection is used, not so much as a resting-place for the male, although he may possibly take a fancy for sitting in the fresh air rather than in the nest, as a perch on which the bird can settle before it passes into the tubular entrance. This supposition is borne out by the fact that there are mostly several of these perches on each nest, so that the whole structure assumes a rather awkward and irregular aspect. The nest is of very large dimensions when compared with its architect, being on the average four inches in diameter.

There is another species of Acanthiza (Acanthiza reguloides) which lives in Australia, and builds a nest very similar in its materials and the general principles of its structure to that of the bird already described, except that the supplementary nest is not present.

A most beautiful pensile nest is made by the SINGING HONEY-EATER (Ptilotus sonorus), a species which is spread over a large portion of Australasia.

Here we have another example of an Australian singing-bird,

for the melody of this creature is so loud, so full, and so rich in tone, that Mr. Gould compares it to that of the missel thrush. It is a soberly-colored bird, though easily identified, the back being pale brown, the top of the head yellow, and a deep black patch passing over the eye, and turning downward along the side of the neck. It is a lively bird, as are all those feathered creatures which feed chiefly on insects, and even in midwinter its melodious song may be heard in full vigor.

There is a very common tree in Australia, popularly called the myall, known to scientific botanists as Acacia pendula. The twigs of this tree are long and very slender, and the leaves are so narrow and delicate that at a little distance they look more like grass-blades than the leaf of a tree. The reader may remember that this is a characteristic of all drooping or "weeping" trees, the leaf and the twig being slender in proportion to each other. The weeping birch and the weeping willow of our own country are good examples of this peculiarity.

Thus, as both the leaves and the twigs of the myall are extraordinarily long and slender, the tree is chosen by many birds which build pensile nests, as will be seen in the course of this volume. It seems a tree that was made for the express purpose, because the long and slender twigs serve the double purpose of affording a firm attachment for the nest and suspending it where no ordinary foe can reach it, while the delicate leaves give their aid in fastening the nest to the twigs, and at the same time serve to conceal the structure from prying eyes.

Although the general structure of the nest is the same in all parts of the country, the materials necessarily differ. In New South Wales, the external shell of the nest is formed of very fine dry stalks, not thicker than twine, while the lining is composed of fibrous roots, matted together with spiders' webs. It is fastened by the rim to the twigs, and as a few of the slender twigs occasionally are interwoven into the nest, it hangs quite securely. In Western Australia the nest is made of grasses, which, although green when first woven, become white and dry in a short time.

The grass is mingled with the hair of the kangaroo and the fur of some phalangist, vulgarly called opossum, which serve to mat the grass together and to make it impervious to the wind and rain; and the interior is neatly lined with grasses and vegetable down.

THERE are many Honey-eaters in Australia, all of which are easily known by the hairy tuft at the end of the long tongue, which is used for licking the sweet juices out of flowers. The entomological reader may perhaps remember that the tongue of the hive-bee is constructed on precisely the same principle, being long, slender, mobile, and fringed with hair at its top.