. Our search for a wilderness; an account of two ornithological expeditions to Venezuela and to British Guiana . buzzing did not rise in when T reached up and moved the branch gently down-ward, the angry hum which came forth sent me into the under-brush in haste. From a safe distance I could sec the waspscircling about in quick spurts which meant trouble to anyintruder, while the excited Cassiques squeaked and screamedtheir loudest. Whether the slight motion T gave to thebranch was unusual enough to arouse the insects, or whetherthey took their cue from the cries and actions of the al
. Our search for a wilderness; an account of two ornithological expeditions to Venezuela and to British Guiana . buzzing did not rise in when T reached up and moved the branch gently down-ward, the angry hum which came forth sent me into the under-brush in haste. From a safe distance I could sec the waspscircling about in quick spurts which meant trouble to anyintruder, while the excited Cassiques squeaked and screamedtheir loudest. Whether the slight motion T gave to thebranch was unusual enough to arouse the insects, or whetherthey took their cue from the cries and actions of the alarmedbirds, T cannot say. 36 OUR SEARCH FOR A WILDERNESS. The nests are beautifully woven, of very tough palm leafshreds and grass stems, in shape like tall vases, bulgingat the bottom to give room for the eggs and young birds,and with an entrance at the side near the top. We foundstill another instance of the unusual ability of these birdsto adapt themselves to changing conditions. Those nestswhich were already deserted or with young ready to fly hadsimple rounded tops arching over to protect the entrance. Fig. 17. Venezuelan Tree Porcupine. from the sun; but in the nests which were in process of con-struction, now at the beginning of the rainy season in earlyApril, there appeared an additional chamber with a denseroof of thatch, in which one of the parents, the male at leastin one case, passed the nights, safe from the torrents ofsudden rain. Another larger species of Cassique,150 dull green in color,built solitary nests, three feet or more in length, but seldomnear the homes of men or wasps. Here and there in the THE LAKE OF PITCH. 37 jungle some lofty tree raised its huge white bole free of vineand liana, and smooth as a marble column, towering farabove all its fellows; and out on the very tip of one of its-swaying branches the nest was woven — safe from all tree-climbing enemies. The notes of these birds were like deepresonant cowbells, ringing through the jungle, clear
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