Speckled Green at www.japanese-home-gardens.com

Coloration is quite varied; the most common coat colors are green, yellow, reddish, and black, usually speckled with small flecks or ticking. Spots, patches, bars, or stripes may be present on the face, body, or legs.

The finger gourd is small and white—an ovoid of 5-inch height and 4-inch diameter—more strange than anything else. This is not a beauty and the comments that it will elicit (and it will) are usually: "My goodness, what is this?* The striped pear gourd sports white stripes on a dark speckled green, and is about the same size but decidedly nicer in aspect. This gourd is nice on the vine or in a decorative group on the mantle. The spoon gourds are yellow, green, two-toned, and cute from every aspect. Usually when decorative gourds are thought of, this is the type that first springs to mind.

Nest: Bulky structure made of mass of twigs, in center of which is placed deep cup of mud or cow dung, lined with wattles, pine needles, dry grass, and shreds of bark; two holes made, one on each side of nest, one for exit and one for entrance; usually returns to same locality to nest year after year; often builds on top of old nest Eggs: 6-9 in clutch; gray-green, speckled and streaked with brown