178 BIRDS 



its slender bill down the tubes of the flowers one after 

 another. 



There is no doubt, however, that they also eat insects, 

 or at any rate spiders. I have seen one hovering in front 

 of a web spun amongst tall stems of grass and delicately 

 picking o£f the spider that sat in the centre of it. 



On the other hand, a sunbird was once found hopelessly 

 entangled in the strong sticky threads of a web of a Nephila 

 spider, the sheets of whose webs are so unpleasantly 

 abundant on many of the islands. Fortunately, I was 

 able with a stick to reach up and set the bird free. The 

 cock bird is a beautiful little creature, the prevailing hue 

 being rich metallic green, but different species have the 

 throat and breast of brilliant scarlet or other bright 

 colours ; the hen bird is dull brown or grey. As is usually 

 the case with brilliantly coloured birds, the song is not 

 musical, but it is quite a pleasing, lively little twitter. 



They are pugnacious birds, and may often be seen 

 chasing each other with angry scoldings, and I have 

 watched them chasing away the huge Carpenter bees from 

 the attractive flowers of a bush. 



Ths Warblers must be passed over, since I have no 

 ornithological knowledge of them ; but there is one 

 species that is very familiar, since it inhabits the low 

 bushes in the forest and its sharp chirp is heard every- 

 where. It has the appearance and manner of a wren, 

 with short upturned tail, and is constantly in evidence 

 climbing about among the branches on which it hunts for 

 sedentary insects, or angrily chasing away another which 

 is trespassing on its feeding grounds. It is, I think, 

 more abundant on the islands than on the mainland. 



The Thrush family deserves mention on account of the 

 fine songster Cossypha, (possibly heuglini,) or Robin Chat 

 (E'nyonza), which abounds in the forests. It is a handsome 

 bird, but one seldom seen, as it is of retiring habits and 

 rarely leaves the sheltering bushes. Occasionally one gets 



