The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-04-20
lNaENlous elRps. NESTS.
One OF tho Most Curious Structures Is the
Mud ucM,s Elontlnr. Homn.


Mud Hons Floating Home.
Up in ono of tho river valleys not
many miles distant from San Diego,
Cal, are many water blucllbirds,
which weave unique nests among tho
tulcs, says writer in the Christian
Times. a specimen of unusual design
which discovered not long since was
bound about with mcshcs to tho up
right tulc stems, laced over, under. in
and out, i'll the most intricate manner.
until the little baslet-shaped rcccpta-
Gle was of tho desired size. The whole
was then rooted with second basket
shaped structure. likewise of tulc Gbcrs,
stretched across. The entire work
mansliip was most perfect, and that
small canopy top proved very effective
in shutting OFF the suns rays. In this
river valley / recently made acquaint-
aDce with the mud hen of the grcbc
family. had met her before, bu.
never had opportunity to study her,
and knowledge of her habits is exceed
ingly Interesting Here, under Tic
trees on q little laguna's bank, have
watched for hours us she has been
swimming, diving, splashing, darling,
fiuttcring and scattering foam from
her lifted wings, and budding
her young up on the bank to cat grass
in tho sun. She has no beauty, but
those tiny canary-colorcd mud chick
ems, tipped with soft down, arc rather
pretty.
The mud hens nest is Il wcedy, rccdy.
fbrouS structure, composed mostly of
dead gray ends of tules and miscclla-
reous 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 scmblancc of mass of
wasting vegetation. One who knows
birds well, and who has made a study
from these same trees on the lagunas
bank, tells me that he has many times
waded out to search for nest and cs-
pied it only when sweeping away with
his hand what he supposed to be ac-
cumulated rubbish of leaves, but that
proved the cradles countcrpane with
which the careful mother had shielded
her treasure. Here eggs, or young,
deposited on tho bottom, we're usually
half submerged, the water oozinC
through every intersticc as through Il
sieve, and no sign OF parent bird
near. Retrcating to distance, it was
often necessary to watch closely, and
through n glass, when presently the
mother grcbc might be discovered salt
ing up swiftly, uncovering the floating
cradle and shyly settling down to
breast its contents. When they were
evidently sufficiently warmed she COW
cred them again carefully with more
debris and sailed away as swiftly
among 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 4 magnificent fan palm in pri
vatc grounds, where great care is
taken not to friShten the birds away
This pensilc, airy thing is of the pale
straw-colorcd ibers OF the palm, and is
{, great beauty. Another parent pair
have chosen rolled banana leaf for 4
resting place. This has been stitched
tightly across from side to side (some-
thing in ball-covcr fashion) with palm
threads. The sewing implements must
have been dcXtrously handled, The re-
suit is SO trig and complete. No more
cunning sight can be imagined than
the heads of the baby birds pcering out
from the lance-shaped roll of this living
nest on the green banana tree.