. Half hours with fishes, reptiles, and birds . 220 WOODPECKERS, CUCKOOS, ETC. so highly valued that the business of collecting the nestsis one of much importance in China. The nests arebuilt, as a rule, on the face of a cliff, in a most dangerousposition. The men who gather them are lowered down byropes. Lives are frequently lost in this dangerous occu-pation. Thenest buildingis very re-markable. Thebird, havingselected a site,presses salivaagainst thewall, repeat-ing this dayafter day andweek afterweek, addinga mere dropat a time. Thesaliva hardensand resembleslight amber,pure at first and a
. Half hours with fishes, reptiles, and birds . 220 WOODPECKERS, CUCKOOS, ETC. so highly valued that the business of collecting the nestsis one of much importance in China. The nests arebuilt, as a rule, on the face of a cliff, in a most dangerousposition. The men who gather them are lowered down byropes. Lives are frequently lost in this dangerous occu-pation. Thenest buildingis very re-markable. Thebird, havingselected a site,presses salivaagainst thewall, repeat-ing this dayafter day andweek afterweek, addinga mere dropat a time. Thesaliva hardensand resembleslight amber,pure at first and attractive, but soon discolored by the birds. In thisgelatinous nest the eggs are laid and the young nests are extremely valuable if newly made, and aresold in all grades of age and griminess to the Chinese,who cleanse them. In every well-conducted Chinesegrocery or drug store this stock for soup can be had bythe pound or Fig. 198. —Edible-nest Swift.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1906
