In some lofty tree
they build perhaps two hundred nests in groups of from two to six. With
all these nests weighting its thinner branches the tree may look wearied
and afflicted, but it obtains direct benefit from the presence of the
birds. The nests, deftly built of tendrils and slender creepers and grass
are domed, the entrance being at the side, and so hidden and overhung as
almost to escape notice. Each August the birds appear, coming from the
north. and until the middle of March, when they take their departure,
they do not indulge in many leisure moments. There are the old nests to
renovate and new ones to build in accordance with the demand of the
increasing population, and loads of fruits and seeds and berries to be
conveyed from the jungle to the colony. The shining calornis is a
handsome fellow, gleaming black, with purple and green sheen. The live
bird differs so greatly from the dull, stuffed specimen of the museum
that one is tempted to endeavour to convey by similitude its wonderful
radiance. A soap bubble, black yet retaining all its changing lights and
flashing reflections, is the nearest approach to a just description, and
then there are to specify the rich, red eyes, eyes gleaming like polished
gems.
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