Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1913-05-28
BIRDS AS BUILDERS.
Wisdom shown I'm Nest Construction
by Feathered Architects.


There are many wise little architects in
the bird world. One species, found in
South America, are called ''oyen birds /,
for the reason that they build nests in the
shape OF dome. With an entrance st the
side, the whole effect being almost exactly
like that OF an oven. They use clay, grass
and various plants for material, and as
they construct their walls an inch thick
the structures when dried In the sun are
very firm and strong.
The oven bird divides its house into two
separate rooms by means OF partition
reaching almost to the top. In the inner
room the bird makes bed OF feathers
and soft grasses upon which the cggs are
deposited.
This bird is NJ no pains 10 conceal its
nest, but builds In open sight on the
leafiess branch OF q tree or upon fence
or within barn or other building.
Travellers in Brazil see these nests on the
top OF telegraph poles.
Our own oriole constructs wonderful
nest. It Is shaped like purse six or
seven inches long and three or four inches
wide. Ii is made of fax, hair, wool and
vegetable fibres. These are matted to-
/ gether until they become OF the thickness
OF felt. The nest is sewed with strong
stitches OF horse-hair, single horse hairs
used in this way being sometimes two feet
/ in length.
! When the bird is near dwelling houses
IL sometimes snatches up thread TO use
| instead OF the horse-hair. II has been
known to steal whole sksins OF silk and
loose strings to use In its nest building.
| The female appears to do most OF the work
I OF building the nest, the male bird coll
| Letting the material.
The tailor bird OF India is small, with
short wings and long tail. 1t con-
structs it's nest by taking two leaves at
I the end of twig aad sewing them to-
gether at their edges, using its bill for a
needle and vegetable tibres, with knots
| to keep them from slipping through the
/ leaf, for thread. Occasionally II makes
its nest. OF one large leaf by sewing the
I edges together; and 1t draws the stalk
end OF the leaf over the nest so as to make
an aw Mug, thus protecting 1t from sun or
| rain.
The nest is lined with cotton, silky
grass. vegetabl fibres, and sometimes a
few feathers. II is suspended from the
very end OF a long branch, where il will
be out of the way OF snakes, monkeys and
/ other upfrienaiy intruders.
The bower bird of Australia belongs to
the startling family. II is very remarka-
| BILE for the bowers or arbors that ii con-
structs. These are usually placed under
| the shelter OF the branches OF some over
hanging tree in the most retired part OF
| the forest. They differ considerably in
! size. The base consists OF an exterior and
rather convex platform of sticks firmly
interwoven, on the centre of which the
bower itself is built.
| This bower, like the platform on which
it is placed, and with which it is inter-
woven, is formed OF sticks and twigs,
! but OF a more slender and flexible kind,
the tips OF the twigs being so arranged
as to curve inward and nearly meet at the
top. In the interior OF the bower the
1 materials are so placed that the forks OF
the twigs are always presented outward,
by which arrangement not the slightest
obstruction is offered to the passage OF the
bird.
For what purpose these curious bowers
are made is not yet, perhaps, fully under
stood. They are certainly not used al
nests, but as places OF resort for many in
dividuals OF both sexes, who, when there
assembled, run through the bower in a
sportiye and playful manner and that &C
frequently that 1t Is seldom deserted.
The interest OF this curious bower ia
much enhanced by the manner in which
it is decorated at and near the entrance
with the most gayly eolored articles that
can be collected, such as the blue tail
feathers of parrots, together with what
ever the birds have been able to pilfer
from dwelling houses They have been
known to carry on bits of silk and coIored