This was the abode, under one
roof, of a whole colony of birds, about the size of yellowhammers, but
of plain brown plumage. The nests were built in a mass round the stem
and among the branches of a tree standing alone, and a kind of roof
formed of grass, straws and fibres covered them all, and sheltered the
community from rain and the heat of the sun.
There were numbers of openings into the irregular sides of the group of
dwellings, the nests resembling different apartments in a house common
to all; twigs and small branches emerged here and there from the walls,
and served as perches for the young birds, and resting-places and posts
of observation for all. The general appearance of the establishment
reminded us of a huge bath-sponge.
The feathered inhabitants swarmed in and out by thousands, and we saw
among them many beautiful little parrots, who seemed in many instances
to contest possession of the nest with the lawful owners.
Fritz, being an expert climber and exceedingly anxious to examine the
nests more closely, ascended the tree, hoping to obtain one or two
young birds, if any were hatched. He put his hand into several holes,
which were empty; but at last his intended theft and robbery met with
repulse and chastisement he little expected; for, reaching far back
into a nest, his finger was seized and sharply bitten by a very strong
beak, so that with a cry he withdrew his hand, and shook it vigorously
to lessen the pain.
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