My Yellow-winged Sugarbirds. 59 



trapped (as I thought) him. and put him into the lobby fli.ght 

 ai^ain — alas ! 1 caught the wrong one, as I found the hen 

 would have nothing to do with the one left in the aviary ; aftei 

 the lapse of two days I succeeded in trapping the other male, 

 put him in " durance vile," and returned the other to the aviary, 

 when he was at once joined by his mate, but the nest was not 

 rei)aired. nor was another one attempted, and though the 

 same two birds spent two more summers in the aviary they 

 never attempted to build another nest — that is the nearest 1 have 

 ever come to breeding Coereha cyanca. 



In 1916 the Mitcham aviaries were dismantled, and the 

 Sugarbirds, with many others, passed into other hands. 



Sugarbirds cannot be classed as hardy, and must come 

 indoors from November to April inclusive. Aloreover. they 

 need watching during really inclement spells in the summer, and 

 if showing real discomfort must be caught and taken indoors, 

 and put out again when the bad period nas passed. Of course, 

 the aviculturist has to learn to discriminate between " being 

 hipped " and real discomfort — humans and even sparrows suffer 

 badly from tlie former during long spells of cold, summer rains, 

 and take no hurt therefrom — Sugarbirds' long silky plumage 

 gets soaked, unless tney take shelter, during continuous rain 

 and they lose the power of flight for the time being, which, how 

 ever, a few gleams of sunshine soon restore. Fortunately they 

 have the instinct either to remain in the shelter, or seek the thick 

 interior of some cupressus bush while the rain lasts, and a rapid 

 fly to and fro to the shelter for food does no harm. Certainly 

 after wet those who keep Sugarbirds out of doors should 

 ascertain that all is well or they may needlessly lose them; in 

 this condition they can be picked up with the hand — all that is 

 needed is putting them into a cage, hanging in the shelter, till 

 dry, when the cage door can be left open for the bird to depart at 

 will. Appropos of this — some years ago the late (. a ir. ' 

 Kennedy and I spent a few days with Mr. H. Willford. In on; 

 of his aviaries were about a score of C . cyanca disporting them- 

 iv.l.ves amid a tangle of bush and herbage, all males 

 if I remember aright, and what a sight they were; 

 the vv'eather was hot and fine, but while we were looking 

 on a sudden and very heavy summer storm caused us to seek 

 cover in a near-by shelter — soon the storm passed, and the sun 



