The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-04-13
INGENIOUS BIRDS NESTS.
One of the Most Curious Structures Is the
Mud Hens Floating Home.

One of the Most Curious Structures Is the
Mud Hens Floating Home.
Cp in one of the river valleys not
many miles distant from San Diego,
Cal, are many water black birds.
which weave unique nests among the
tules, says writer in the Christian
Times. \ specimen of unusual design
which discovered not long since was
bound about with mcshcs to the up
right tulc stems, laced over, under, in
and out, in the most intricate manner,
until the little baskct-shaped recepta-
Gle was of the desired size. The whole
was then rooted with a second basket
shaped structure. like wise Of tule fibers,
stretched across. The entire work
manship was most perfect. and that
small canopy top proved very effective
in shutting off the suns rays. In this
river valley recently made acquaint-
ance with the mud hen Of the grebe
family. l had met her before, but
never had opportunity to study her,
and knowledge of her ha bits is exceed
ingly interesting. Here, under the
trees on little laguna's bank, have
watched :or hours as she has been
swimming diving, splashing, darling,
fluttering and scattering foam from
her lifted wings. and budding
her young up on the bank to eat grass
in the sun. She has no beauty, but
those tiny canary-colored mud chick
ems, tipped with soft down, are rather
pretty.
The mud hens nest Is a weedy, rcedv,
fihrous structure. composed mostly of
dead. gray ends of tules and miscella-
neous matter. and is usually placed far
out from shore. without anchorage,
where it drifts to and fro. grading its
eggs easily. 1t presents to the eye
simply the semblance of a mass of
wasting vegetation. One who knows
birds well. and who has made study
from these same trees on the laguna's
bank, tells me that he has many times
waded out to search for a nest and es-
pied it only when sweeping away with
his hand what he supposed to be ac-
cumulated rubbish of leaves. but that
proved the cradles counterpane with
which the careful mother had shielded
her treasure. Here eggs, or young.
deposited on the bottom. were usually
half submerged. the water oozinG
through every interstice as through a
sieve, and no sign Of a parent bird
near. Retrea ting to distance, it was
often necessary to watch closely, and
through a glass, when presently the
mother grebc might be discovered sail
ing up swiftly, uncovering the floating
cradle and shyly settling down to
breast its contents. When they We're
evidently sufficiently warmed she COW
cred them again carefully with more
debris and sailed away as swiftly
the water weeds.
The orioles is one of the daintiest
nests found in California trees. One
has been recently built by an aesthetic
couple in a magnificent fan palm in pri~
vate grounds, where great care is
taken not TO brighten the birds away.
This pensile. airy thing is of the pale.
fibers of the palm and is
n great beauty. Another parent pair
have chosen a rolled banana leaf for
resting place. This has been stitched
tightly across from side TO side fsome-
thing in ball-cover fashion, with palm
threads. The sewing implements must
have been dextrously handled the re-
suit is so trig and complete. No more
cunning sight can be imagined than
the heads of the baby birds peering out
from the lance-shaped roll of this living
nest on the green banana tree.