第15章 THE TAILOR-BIRD 缝叶莺

The birds in a tropical forest are exposed to many dangers; and if they were not gifted with instinct, they would soon fall victims to their enemies. The monkeys are lying in wait for their eggs; and so is the snake, that glides stealthily amongst the bushes.

The mother bird knows very well what she has to expect, if either of these cunning foes should find entrance into her nest; and she generally contrives to conceal it so skilfully, that neither snake nor monkey can find it.

The tailor-bird of India is no bigger than the humming-bird, and has a long slender bill, which she uses as a needle. She is very timid and cautious, and will not hang her nest, as many birds do, to the end of a bough. She fancies that it would not be safe even there. She therefore fastens it to the leaf itself; and so carefully that no one can see it.

First of all she picks up a dead leaf from the ground, and then, with her needle and thread (her needle being her bill, and her thread the fibres of a plant) she sews the dead leaf to the side of a living one, and in the space between she makes her nest.

Small as the space is, it is quite large enough for the tiny eggs she lays; and she lines it with gossamer, that the little tailor-birds may feel themselves quite snug and comfortable. The leaf, with the nest sewed into it, swings about in the wind as it did before, for the weight of the bird does not draw it down.

It is hidden from the prying eyes of the forest robbers; and here the young brood are hatched in safety. You may see them put out their heads when they are expecting their mother back with an insect or a worm for their food. But at the slightest sound of danger, in they draw them, and then there seems to be nothing but the leaf hanging with the other leaves upon the bough.

Another little bird, called the Indian sparrow, is equally ingenious. She builds her nest on the highest tree she can find, and if it overhangs a river so much the better. She makes it of grass, which she weaves like cloth, and fashions it into the shape of a bottle. It contains several apartments, and the entrance is at the bottom.

The oddest thing about this nest is, that the bird is said to light up her rooms with fire-flies, which she sticks to the walls by pieces of clay!

One naturalist thinks she must bring them home for food; and another supposes that she places them there to dazzle the eyes of the bats, that would gladly prey upon her young ones if they could.

Questions

What are the enemies of birds in a tropical forest! What enables the birds to protect themselves? What bird is very ingenious in concealing her nest? Where does she fasten it? How does she join the two leaves together. What has she for needle and thread? With what is the nest lined? What other bird is equally clever? Where does she prefer to build her nest? Of what is it made? Of what shape is it? Where is the entrance? What reasons have been given for her putting the fire-flies in it?

Dictation

The Indian Tailor-bird makes her nest in the space between a living leaf on the tree and a dead one which she sews to it, using her bill as needle, and the fibres of a plant as thread.

热带森林里的鸟儿会面对很多危险；如果没有与生俱来的本能反应，它们很快就会成为敌人的囊中之物。猴子躺下来等待时机偷蛋；在灌木丛里爬行的蛇也有此意。

当狡猾的敌人找到鸟巢的入口，鸟妈妈能准确地预测出来；她会巧妙地将其隐藏起来，那样不论是蛇还是猴子都发现不了。

印度缝叶莺的体型比蜂鸟小，它有一个纤细的长喙，被当作针。她既胆子小又细心，就像许多鸟一样，她不会把窝搭在树枝的末端。她觉得即便在这里也不安全。因此她将自己的窝固定在叶子上，她细心搭建的鸟窝不会被人们发现。

首先她从地上捡起一片落叶，然后用针和针缝（针就是她的喙，针缝就是植物的纤维）把落叶缝到树上的叶子侧面，在两片叶子之间搭窝。

虽然空间很小，但是在里面生蛋还是足够大了；她用蛛丝将其排列起来，小缝叶莺会觉得很温暖，很舒适。搭建鸟窝的树叶可以像以前一样在风中摇摆，因为鸟的重量不会将其扯断。

在这里可以躲开森林盗贼敏锐的双眼；幼鸟可以在这里安全地孵化。你也许能看到它们露出脑袋，期盼着妈妈给它们带回填饱肚子的昆虫或者蚯蚓。但是即便是最轻微危险的声响，也能引起它们的注意，这里似乎没什么异样，只有树枝上的叶子此起彼伏。

另一种叫作印第安鹦鹉的小鸟，同样非常机灵。她把巢筑在她能看到的最高的树上，能靠近河流的更好。她用草筑巢，像织布一样编织，把窝做成小瓶子的形状。它包括几个房间，入口在最下面。

这种巢最奇怪的地方是，据说它们用黏土把萤火虫粘在墙上，让其照亮鸟巢。

一位自然主义者认为，她把它们带回家是为了喂孩子，另一位则认为她把它们带回来是为了吓走那些趁鸟妈妈不在的时候捕食幼鸟的蝙蝠。