The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-10-24
BIRD ARCHITECTS. :
DWE1d,ING HOUSES BUILT BY
FEATHERED ARTISTS.
Assembly Rooms Constructed by
Public Spirited Birds-The Crow
Family Are Famous House Dec
orators-The Gardener Bird.

yet it is among the crows that the feath.
cred artists are most common. The
most famous artists of the crow family
are the bower birds of Australia. And
among the bower birds the spotted col
lar bird is the most artistic. 1t builds
but an ordinary nest for laying of it9
eggs and the rearing of its family in, but
to compensate for the lack of taste dis
played there, it exerts itself like the ideal
Socialist to apply its talent for the gen.
eral good.
Ordinarily in the bird world the fe-
male is the architect, but with the bower
bird this is not the case. The male birds
at certain seasons of the year come to-
gether with as much system as the
beavers when building their dams, and
unite for the erei tion of what have been
aptly called assembly rooms. In shape
these structures are bower like; hence
the name given the bird. In purpose
they are literally for the assembling OF
the two sexes at pairing time, when
every male bird in his best plumage at
tends and disports himself in the way
which to him seems best calculated to
win him the object Of his affections.
The male birds having gwen their time
and talents to the building think per-
haps that they have the best right to the
privileges of the place. However that
may be, they certainly do most OF the
promenading and dancing. They
actually do dance, seeming, moreover to
enjoy the exercise. They are not so
selfish, however, as to exclude the fe-
males from the delights of this pastime,
but permit them to dance as much as
they choose, only observing the decorous
rule of dancing singly instead OF in
pairs of opposite sexes. A remarkable
degree of ingenuity and skill are dis
played in the building of the bower. A
flooring of about two feet by three feet
is first woven of twigs. Other twigs of
q curved shape are disposed along the
length of the platform in such way
that the tops meet in an arch over it.
These are held firmly in place by being
inserted in the ground and by having
stones laid all along their bases. If
these twigs forming the side of the bower
are found to have pro Getting twigs on
them they are removed and others put in
their places, for nothing is permitted in
the bower that is at all likely to In .ure
the plumage of the festive birds. Other
twigs are woven laterally into these
twigs to give the structure greater
siren 9Th, and the inside of it is lined
with tall, soft grass so disposed that the
tufted heads meet near the roof The
grass is kept in place by row of stones
arranged along the inner base Of tine
bower. The structure being completed.
the birds 60 out upon search for OBJ
iects with which to ornament not only
the bower itself, but the approaches to
it as we'll, for the entrances to the
structure are marked by we'll defined
pathways lined by small white pebbles
in the manner of some of our country
walks. The ornamental OBJ ects sought
are required to be either pure white In
color or brilliant or glittering. Bleached
bones, bright seeds, gay shells, feathers.
agate and the like substances are most
commonly employed. In front OF each
entrance little mound covered with or.
namental objects is placed.
In Africa there is bird, which, like
the bower bird, combines the qualities
of architect and decorative artist, with
the difference that this bird divides the
talents between the sexes, the female
being the architect and the male the
decorator. The house, for such it really
is, is a notable affair and covering an
area of fifty square feet in some instances.
One observer has described this extra
ordinary structure IN these words: ''The
doorway to this dwelling is placed on
the lower part of the slope, in order that
rain may not cause an inundation of the
habitation. A level platform of wood
is then built at the higher end of the
structure and carpet of some soft vege-
table material is laid On it. A partition
wall with doorway is then raised to cut
this portion off from the main room, for
this IS the mothers chamber and the
nursery. Another portion of the dwelling
is then partitioned o T for use as a store.
room, and it Is the male birds duty to
stock it with provisions against a bad
season. The remaining space in the house
is retained by the male bird as sort of
guard house and resting place com.
6ined." No sort of decoration is allowed
by the mother to cucumber the interior
of the house, but apparently she does
not care what the father does with the
outside, provided he first procures food
before giving himself up to his artistic
instincts. The things which he collects
show his catholic taste in art. Anything
glitter.ng or odd in shape will please
him, and, if the truth be told, his house
in the end comes to look like refuse
heap O.! modified city dumping ground.
The passion of the hammerhead for OBJ
lets de vertu is such, and so we'll under
stood among the natives, that when one
of them loses any specially glitterIng or
gaudy article, he at once sets out for the
nearest hammerhead house and there
searches for it.
In certain sense the gardener bird of
New Guinea is more remarkable than
either of the foregoing birds. 1t IS on
the public assembly room that it ex-
ercises all its strange powers. When
the time for building has come, level
spot, upon which a stout upright shrub
is growing, is selected, and all around
the shrub, rs around tent pole, the
edifice is erected. The apex of the tent
is about twenty inches from the ground
and the base is nearly yard in diameter.
The sides are formed of stems tightly
interviewer until waterproof material
is made. An arched doorway is made
in the most convenient side and a gallery
is constructed all around the interior of
the building. An embaukment of moss
holds the central pillar firmly IN its
place. But it is on the grounds that the
aart;et;o faalinn of iha bird shows itself.