64 Mr. G. L. ^^ie^— Field-Notes on the 



hovering, in the manner of Humming-birds, is never kept up 

 for long at a time, it is a mistake to say that Sunbirds 

 do not hover at all. 



The stomach-contents of these birds consist most fre- 

 quently of spiders and a liquid. In my notebook, under 

 one specimen, this liquid is stated to have been " sweet " ; I 

 must have ventured to taste it. 



In my paper on ''Breeding-Seasons^^ ('The Ibis,' 1908, 

 p. 568) are some remarks about the moulting of these Sun- 

 birds. 



1884. CiNNYRIS CHLOROPVGIUS. [Zcsol.] 



deich. Y. A. iii. p. 486. 



Cinnyris preussi Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 338. 



As the little Sunbirds called '' C. preussi " in the pajier in 

 ' The Ibis ' cited above have the upper tail-coverts green like 

 the backs and not violet, they would seem to be referable 

 to C. chloropygius. Most of my birds were too small to be 

 C. preussi, but they varied in size a good deal. 



This, the smallest of our Sunbirds, is the most abundant 

 species on the shrubs and flowering trees of the open country, 

 though never seen in the forest. Many individuals assemble 

 about the flow ers, and a tree in blossom may actually be full 

 of them, at a distance looking like insects flying among the 

 flowers. They move very quickly. When one of these little 

 fellows passes near it is scarcely visible, from its small- 

 ness and the swiftness of its flight. They are rightly called 

 Sunbirds, in that they seem to like the sunshine, even when 

 it is hot. At mid-day, when other birds have sought the 

 shade and are still, these little Sunbirds are flitting about as 

 actively as ever. 



They are generally silent, except for a little chirpings 

 like that of an insect, made in the smallest of voices as they 

 flit by. But the males have a pretty little song that is 

 occasionally heard. 



The food of this small species seems to be about the same 

 as that of the larger Sunbirds, consisting mostly of small 

 insects, mainly spiders. In some stomachs were found what 

 looked like tiny bits of flowers that had been picked and 



