[Illustration: THE LONG-TAILED TAILOR BIRD (_Orthotomus longicauda_).]
The LONG-TAILED TAILOR BIRD (_Orthotomus longicauda_) is of a yellowish
olive-green on the mantle, red on the crown of the head, and greyish
red upon the nape; the under surface is white with faint blackish spots
upon the sides of the breast. The quills are brown edged with green, the
tail-feathers brown shaded with green, those at the exterior are tipped
with white. In the male the two centre tail-feathers are considerably
prolonged. The length of this species is six inches and a half, the wing
measures two, and the tail three inches and a half; the female is not
more than five inches long, and her tail does not exceed two inches. The
Tailor Birds are found throughout all parts of India, from the Himalayas
to Cape Comorin, also in Ceylon, Burmah, and the neighbouring countries,
frequenting such localities as are not entirely destitute of trees or
bushes. In these situations they usually live in pairs or small families,
and pass their days in hopping nimbly from twig to twig in search of
insects, caterpillars, and larvæ, upon which they subsist. When moving
over the ground or eating they keep the tail erect, and elevate the
feathers upon the head. The manner in which they construct their strange
and beautiful nest is truly wonderful. Having chosen a leaf of adequate
dimensions, the ingenious sempstress draws the edges together by means of
her bill and feet, then, piercing holes through the approximated edges,
she secures them in their place by means of cotton threads, the ends of
which she ties into small bunches and thus fastens them, so as to prevent
them from slipping through. Sometimes the Tailor Bird, having picked up
a fallen leaf, fastens it to one still growing on the tree by sewing the
two together in the manner above described, and thus prepares a pensile
cradle in which the nest is constructed. The interior is lined with a
thick layer of cotton, flax, and other vegetable fibres, mixed with a
little hair, and on this comfortable bed the eggs are laid and the young
live secure from the attacks of monkeys or snakes. The brood consists of
three or four eggs, which are white, spotted with brownish red at the
broad end.
"This bird is most common," says Jerdon, "in well-wooded districts,
frequenting gardens, hedgerows, orchards, low jungle, and even now and
then the more open parts of high tree jungles. It is usually seen in
pairs, at times in small flocks, incessantly hopping about the branches
of trees, shrubs, pea rows, and the like, with a loud, reiterated call,
or picking various insects, chiefly ants, cicadellæ, and various small
larvæ, off the bark and leaves, and not unfrequently seeking them on the
ground. It has the habit of raising its tail whilst feeding, and hopping
about, and at times, especially when calling, it raises the feathers,
and displays the concealed black stripes on its neck. The ordinary note
of the Tailor Bird is, 'To-wee! to-wee! to-wee!' or, as it is syllabised
by Layard, 'Pretty! pretty! pretty!' When alarmed or angry it has a
different call. It is a familiar bird, venturing close to houses, but,
when aware that it is watched, it becomes wary and shy.
"The Tailor Bird makes its nest with cotton wool and other soft
materials, sometimes also lining it with hair, and draws together one
leaf or more, generally two leaves, on each side of the nest, and
stitches them together with cotton, either woven by itself, or cotton
thread picked up, and, after passing the thread through the leaf, it
makes a knot at the end to fix it. I have seen a Tailor Bird at Saugor
watch till the _dirzee_ (native tailor) had left the verandah where he
had been working, fly in, seize some pieces of thread that were lying
about, and go off in triumph with them. This was repeated in my presence
several days running. I have known many different trees selected to build
in; in gardens very often a guava-tree. The nest is generally built at
from two to four feet above the ground. The eggs are two, three, or four
in number, and, in every case I have seen, were white, spotted with
reddish brown, and chiefly at the large end."
Colonel Sykes tells us that the eggs are crimson, but he has probably
mistaken the nest and eggs of _Prinia socialis_, which last are sometimes
of a uniform brick-red. Hodgson suspects that there are two species
confounded under one name, as he has on several occasions got unspotted
_blue_ eggs from a Tailor Bird's nest. These were probably those of
_Prinia gracilis_, the eggs of which are blue. Layard describes one nest
"made entirely of cocoa-nut fibre, encompassed by a dozen leaves of
oleander, drawn and stitched together. I cannot call to recollection ever
having seen a nest made with more than two leaves."