Thomas Noltemeyer, Jr.,, age 11, of Shephordsville., Ky., for his questions

What is a tailorbird?

Let's plan an imaginary trip to visit this little stitcher in his native home. Close your eyes and think of a lush green thicket in the Philippine Islands. If we wish, we can also visit him in China, India or Malaya. In any case, his home will be among tropical evergreens where the leaves are large and shady. The weather will be warm and sunny.

At first we do not notice him, for his satin smooth feathers blend in with the foliage. His face and breast are creamy white and his back and wings are brown and olive green. There he is, a little bird no more than five inches long. He looks even smaller, for his sassy tail sticks straight up in the air at right angles to his back. His crisp wings are short and stubby, his slender bill is slightly curved and his bright eyes are very alert.

If we arrive at the right season, the tailorbird will have a length of twine or thread in his slender bill. It may be a thread of silk or wool stolen from his human neighbors or it may be a length of plant fiber. In any case, the amazing bird has plans for this piece of thread. He i s going to sew a nest. He may choose two large leaves, one above the other or he may choose a huge single leaf which can be bent in the middle.

The twine is to sew the edges of the leaves or leaf together. He uses his dainty bill to pieroe a hole in the foliage and then pokes through the thread. He sews from side to side with a lacy stitch. The stitches are all equally spaced and when he is finished the seam is very neat.

He now has a pocket surrounded by leaf on all sides. At one end there is sure to be a small entrance into the leafy shell.

Now the tailorbird and his wife begin to build the nest. It is, of course, inside the leafy shelter. The materials used are soft plant down, fine grass and any soft bits of fur or hair which the busy parents can find. Now the cozy cradle is ready for Mrs. Tailorbird to lay her eggs.

There are usually four eggs, either pink or blue green, and freckled with reddish brown. As the warm breeze blows, the mother bird and her precious eggs are rocked to and fro in their leafy cradle.

The tailorbird, naturally, gets his name from the tailoring job he does on his nest. He is not the only bird whose nest is out of the ordinary. Certain penguins make their nests on the solid ice. The graceful flamingo builds a little turret of mud on which to lay and hatch her eggs. Our lovely oriole makes a nest like a hammock, hung by its corners from a bough. The water loving grebe builds a nest on a floating raft and the burrowing owl makes a nest underground, usually at the end of some other animalts deserted home.