The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1883-06-14
p How a Bird Outwitted the Monkeys.

e
"Of all the hanging nests, commend
mo to that made OF grass by the baya
sparrow of India. 1t is one Of the most
perfect bird houses known of, and seems
only to need fireplace to mako it a
real house. 1t is entered through tho
long neck a5 tho lower end. Tho bed
for tho eggs rests in the bulb, or cxpan-
sion st the middle of tho nest, where
there ara actually two roonl1, for the
male mas perch divided of from the
female by little partition, where he
may sit and sing to her iii rainy wealth
or, or when the sun shines very hot, and
where he may rest at night. Tho walls
are a firm lattice work OF grass, neatly
woven together, which permits the air
to pass through, but does not allow tho
birds to be seen. Tho whole nest is
from fourteen to eighteen inches long,
and six inches wide at the thickest part.
1t is hung low over tho water-why, we
shall presently sec-und its only en-
trance is through tho hanging neck.
"Why do birds build hanging nests?"
"Those birds that do make hanging
nests, undoubtedly do it because they
think them the safest Birds eggs are
delicacies on the bill Of fare of several
animals, and arc eagerly sought by
them. Snakes, for instance, live al
most entirely upon them, during the
month of June; squirrels eat them, rae,
coons also, and opossums, cats, rats,
and mice. But none of these animals
could creep out to the plant, wavy ends
of the willow branches or elm twigs,
and cling there long enough to get at
the contents of u Baltimore oriole'S s
nest.
''In the country where the baya
sparrow lives, there are snakes and
opossums, and all the rest of the egg
eaters; and in addition there are troops
of monkeys, which are more to be fear
ed than all the rest together. Monkeys
are wonderfully expert climbers, from
whom the eggs, in an ordinary OPEN
top pouch nest, like the orioles, would
not be secure; for if they can get any
where near, they will reach their long,
slender fingers down inside the nest.
The baya sparrow discovered this, and
| learned to build nest inclosed on all
sides, and to enter it from underneath
| bv n neck too long fora monkey to con-
veniently reach up through. Besrle
this, she took the precautiOn to hang it
on the very tips of light branches, upon
which she thought no robber would dare
trust himself But she found that mon
| KEYS knew trick worth two o that. ,
They would 90 to higher limb which
was strong, and one would let himself
down from it, grasping it firmly with
his hands; then another monkey would
crawl down and hold on to the heels of
the first one, another would 90 below
him, and so on until several were hang
ing to each other, and the lowest one
could reach the sparrow's treasures.
He would eat them all himself, and then
one by one they would climb up over
each Other; and last of all the tired first
one, who had been holding up the
weight of all the rest. would get up,
too, and all would so noisily off in search
of fresh plumber, which, [ suppose.
would be given to a different one, the
rest making ladder for him rs before.
1.-The cunning baya sparrow saw way
to avoid even this dangerous trickery.
She knew that there was nothing mon
key hated so terribly as to get his sleek
coat wet. He would rather go hungry,
So she hung her nest over the wata'
close to the surface, and the agile thieve:
do not dare make chain long enough
1 to enable the last one to reach up lntt
her nest from below, as he must do, fol
fear that the springy brrnches nigh
bend so far is to souse them into th'
water.
The sparrow has fairly outwittet
the monkeyr'-ErneSt IngcrSoH. IN NO.
81. Nicholas.