. The illustrated natural history [microform]. Birds; Natural history; Oiseaux; Sciences naturelles. THE SWOUD-BILL {D. 231 M-rist up to the astic piirnsitcs; trunks ; eiuir- linilis; curious â¢nlis]ied has not yet been disco- veivd. The nest is beiintifully made of silky cutton threads, intermixed with the web of ( spiders, and is_ often studded i>rol'usely Mith lichens. ^Nlr. Gosse was fortunate enough to see the bird in the act of making lier nest, and describes her movements in the following words :ââ " Suddenly T heard the whirr of a ITumming-bird, and, looking
. The illustrated natural history [microform]. Birds; Natural history; Oiseaux; Sciences naturelles. THE SWOUD-BILL {D. 231 M-rist up to the astic piirnsitcs; trunks ; eiuir- linilis; curious â¢nlis]ied has not yet been disco- veivd. The nest is beiintifully made of silky cutton threads, intermixed with the web of ( spiders, and is_ often studded i>rol'usely Mith lichens. ^Nlr. Gosse was fortunate enough to see the bird in the act of making lier nest, and describes her movements in the following words :ââ " Suddenly T heard the whirr of a ITumming-bird, and, looking up, saw a female relytnnis hovering opposite the nest with a mass of silk-cotton in her beak. Deterred by tin' sight of me, she presently retired to a twig a few paces distant, on which she sat. 1 immediately sank down among the rocks as gently as possible, and remained perfectly ,^till. In a few seconds ,'arently clearing her mouth from the cotton til ires, for she now and then swiftly projected the tongue an inch and a half I'rom the beak, (diitiuuing the same curve as that of the beak. "When she arose, it was to perform a very interesting action, for she ilew to the face of the rock, which was thickly clothed with soft (liy moss, and, hovering on the wing as if before a flower, began to pluck the moss until she had a large bunch of it in her beak. Then I saw her ily to the nest, and having seated herself in it, proceed to place the new materials, pressing and arranging and interweaving the whole with her beak, while she fashioned the cup-like form of the interior by the jiressure (if her white breast, moving round and round as she sat. My presence appeared to he no hindrance to her proceedings, although only a few feet distant; at length she left the place, and 1 left also. On the 8th of April I visited the cave again, and found the nest perfected and containing two eggs, wliich were not hatched on the 1st of ; In the 8am(> work are contained many inter
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1800, booksubjectbirds, booksubjectnaturalhistory
