. The naturalist in La Plata . Firewood-gatherer and Bird-fly. so swiftly is it able to swim through the plumage,that the bird is unable to rid itself of so un-desirable a companion. The bird lives with itsmate all the year round, much of the time with itsgrown-up young, in its nest—a large structure, in l 2 148 The Naturalist in La Plata. which so much building-material is used that thebird is called in the vernacular Leiiatero, or Fire-wood-gatherer. On warm bright days withoutwind, during the absence of the birds, I havefrequently seen a company of from half a dozen toa dozen or fifteen of
. The naturalist in La Plata . Firewood-gatherer and Bird-fly. so swiftly is it able to swim through the plumage,that the bird is unable to rid itself of so un-desirable a companion. The bird lives with itsmate all the year round, much of the time with itsgrown-up young, in its nest—a large structure, in l 2 148 The Naturalist in La Plata. which so much building-material is used that thebird is called in the vernacular Leiiatero, or Fire-wood-gatherer. On warm bright days withoutwind, during the absence of the birds, I havefrequently seen a company of from half a dozen toa dozen or fifteen of the parasitical fly wheelingabout in the air above the nest, hovering andgambolling together, just like house-flies in a roomin summer ; but always on the appearance of thebirds, returning from their feeding-ground, theywould instantly drop down and disappear into thenest. How curious this instinct seems ! The flyregards the bird, which affords it the warmth andfood essential to life, as its only deadly enemy;and with an inh
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjecta, booksubjectzoology
