The RED-FRONTED BUNDLE-NEST, or CLIMBING THRUSH (_Phacellodomus
rufifrons_), is of a light brownish greenish grey on the upper parts of
the body, and light brownish white on the under side. The quills are
greyish brown, with a reddish gloss on the outer web; the brow is deep
rust-red, and a stripe over the eyes pure white. The eye is grey, the
upper mandible dark greyish brown, and the lower one whitish grey. The
foot is pale blueish grey. This species measures six inches and a quarter,
the wing two inches and a quarter, and the tail two inches and a half.
[Illustration: THE RED OVEN BIRD (_Furnarius rufus_).]
The Prince von Wied tells us he only met with these elegant little birds
upon the arid interior highland tracts of Geroes and Bahia, where they
inhabited the open country, and passed their time in hopping or flying
from one bush or tree to another. As regards its nidification, the Prince
von Wied remarks, "I found the nests of the _Phacellodomus rufifrons_
about February; they were usually suspended on the low, slender branches
of high trees. Those I saw are best described as large oval bundles,
often more than three feet long, and formed of thin twigs heaped together
and interwoven with each other, or fastened together by a variety of
materials. The interior was filled with small bundles of moss, hair,
wool, or fibres interlaced, so as to form a warm and compact lining. The
small round hole that serves as an entrance is situated at the bottom of
this suspended mass, so that the birds ascend from below into their huge
domicile. Year by year these nests are added to and enlarged until at
last it is not uncommon to find that they have so increased in size as
to render it a difficult task for a man to stir one of them. On opening
a nest of this description a row of chambers is seen, under the one last
made." These ancient apartments are, we believe, frequently employed as
retiring-rooms for the male parent. Swainson tells us that these strange
and shapeless masses are very conspicuous features in the landscape.
The brood usually consists of four eggs, which are round in shape, and
generally of a pure white.
* * * * *
The OVEN BIRDS (_Furnarius_) possess a moderately strong beak, either
quite straight or slightly curved, compressed at its sides, and almost
equalling the head in length; the blunt wing is of medium size, its third
quill is the longest, while its first is considerably, and its second
slightly shortened; the short tail is composed of soft feathers; the
tarsus is high, and the toes strong; the claws are somewhat hooked, but
only the first is of any considerable size. These birds frequent both open
woodlands and inhabited districts; they live for the most part on the
ground, as their powers of flight and climbing are very limited. Their
voice is loud, harsh, and peculiar. The strange nests built by the members
of this group, and from which their name is derived, have been described
by Azara, the Prince von Wied, Burmeister, Darwin, and other writers.
"After passing over the lofty chain of mountains that separate the
well-wooded coasts of Brazil from the Campos, travellers are astonished
at beholding large, melon-shaped masses of clay standing erect upon the
branches of the high trees surrounding the settlers' houses. Were it not
for the regularity of their size and shape, a stranger would at once
pronounce these masses of clay to be nests built by the termite ants. On
closer inspection of one of these the eye detects an oval-shaped hole
at the side, and a little patience is rewarded by a sight of the actual
inhabitant of this most remarkable nest as he slips in and out of the
entrance to his strange abode. This bird, known to us as the _Furnarius
rufus_, is called the João de Barro, or Clay Jack, by the Brazilians."
We learn from Darwin that these nests are also placed in such exposed
situations as the top of a post, a bare rock, or on a cactus, and are
composed of mud and bits of straw. The strong, thick walls in shape
precisely resemble an oven, or a depressed bee-hive. The opening is large,
and directly in front; within the nest there is a partition, which reaches
nearly to the roof, thus forming a passage or antechamber to the true nest.