Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-07-22
INGENIOUS BIRDS. NESTS.
Some Curious Structurrs-The Mud
Hens Floating Home

Hens Floating Home.
Up in one of the river valleys not
many miles distant are mang wa.er
blackbirds, which weave unique
| nests among the tules, saws a san
Diego letter TO the Christian Union.
A specimen OF unusual design which
/ discovered not long since was bound
sbout with meshes to the upright
tule stems, laced over. under. in and
out, in the most intricate manner,
until the little basket-shaped re-
ceptacle was of the desired size The
whole was then rooted with a second
structure, likewise of
tule fibers. stretched across. The
entire workmanship was most per-
feet, and that small canopy top
proved very effective in shutting off
the suns rays.
In this river valley recently made
acquaintance with the mud hen of
the grebe family. l had met her be-
fore, but never had opportunity to
study her. and knowledge of her hab-
its is exceedingly interesting. Here.
under the trees on little laruna's
bank, have watched for hours as
she has been swimming, diving,
splashing, darting, luttering 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 chickens. tipped with
soft down, are rather pretty
hA
reedy, fibrous structure, composed
mostly of dead, gray ends of tules and
miscellaneous 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 scmblance of a
mass of wasting vegetation. One who
knows birds well, and who has made
them study from these same trees
on the laguna's bank. tells me that
he has man. times waded out to
search for nest. and espied it only
when sweeping away with his hand
what he supposed to be accumulated
rubbish of leaves, but that proved
the cradles counterpart with which
the careful mother had shielded her
treasure.
Here eggs. or young, deposited on
the bottom, were usually half sub
merged, the water oozing through
every interstice as through a sieve,
and no sign of parent bird near.
Retreating to a distance, it was often
necessary 70 watch closely, and
through a glass, when presently the
mother grebe might be discovered
sailing up swiftly, uncovering the
floating cradle and shyly settling
down to breast its contents. When
they were evidently sufficiently
warmed she covered them carefully
with more de bris and sailed away as
swiftly among the water reeds.
The orioles is one of the daintiest
nests found in California trees. One
has recently been built by an asthet-
&c couple in magnificent fan palm
in private grounds, where great care
is taken not 10 brighten the birds
away. This pcnsile, airy thing is of
the pale, straw-colored fibres of the
palm, and is great beauty Another
parent pair have chosen a rolled BAN
ana leaf for resting place. This has
been stitched tightly across from side
to side Something in ball-cover fash
ion) with palm threads The sewing
implements must have been dex-
terously handled, the result 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.