The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-11-09
EDIBLE BIRDS NESTS.
The Way They Are Gathered by th,
Dyaks In norneo.

Dyaks In Rorneo.
Edible birds nests are found In thu
clefts Of rocks or In underground caves
which are frequently. of great extent
John MacGregor In writing OF a blrt.
nesting experience he had In Bornec
says: "oT we went with about a dozen
Dyaks. as the little bronze aboriglnes
Of this part Of Borneo are called. for
guides. The entrance to the cave was
50 small aud so elevated that l had
some little difficulty In reaching It..
After we had Travelled for some dis
tance we came across the inevitable
stream, The ground. which was to q
great extent composed OF the bed Of
the stream. was rough and irregular.
We We're lighted on our way BY torches
carried by our Dyak guldes At last
we came 10 a passage that seemed q
veritable eye Of needle. 40 hard Il
was 10 enter. for II looked 20 narrow
and confined that despalred Of ever
getting through II. When I fairly got
squeezed into the breach l could force
myself neither upward nor downward
for that was the direction OF the pas,
sage and there was. suspended like
Mohammeds coffin or q trussed fowl.
BY dint OF wrlggling. however. l at
last found myself ON the top OF the
passage, minus certain amount Of
s4lD and some buttons from my tight
fitting khaki coat
"still on we logged for the best part
Of a mile, when, 10 and behold, the
caves In which the birds were breeding
and which were TO be the l.iu,ts of our
underground wanderings! A faint gllm-
mer OF light could be seen through
rift in the rocks far above Us, and II
was through this small rift. which was
sealed passage even TO ths Dyaks
themselves, that the birds passed In
their journeys 10 and from their nest.
ing grounds, Our arrival, Of course,
disturbed whatever birds were there.
and they disappeared as best they
could. And there, for time, we watch.
ed the Dyaks going through their gym.
nastics OF robbing the birds nests.
with their ropes and long poles creep.
Ing along the high ridges and lodges In
the lurid light of the torches ike un.
earthly specters.
These peculiar nests are built by a
species Of swallow. The nests consist
OF shallow, cup shaped cavities. trun.
Gated at one side, where they are at.
tached TO the rocks like brackets to a
wall, and forming something like
two-thirds segment OF a circle II Is
not always easy 10 get at them, az
they are sometimes glued 10 the per.
pendicular sides OF the solid rocks high
overhead, so that the nest hunters have
to scale these crags with ropes and
poles to get at them. In substance
they consist Of an elastic, aeultrans.
parent, mucilaginous material. which Il
said 10 be secretion. or fnacerated
food, from the crops Of the birds them
selves.
As robbing these nests for CONNER.
'ial purposes forms part Of the Dy.
ks means Of livelihood, the birds
lave frequently to build twice or even
hree times during the season before
hey are able to hatch their offspring, |
IND II Is noted that each successive
.rop Of nests deteriorates In both con
and composition. The nests
Jullt at the beginning OF TIE season
Ire bright and transparent and are
known on the market as
white nests. but when they are rob-
BED the next crop is not nearly 80
,urs ia substance"