more notes on new humming-birds.



165



little male, fully adult, after suffering for two months with that

strange malady of the howels which I despair to prevent but some¬

times can cure, and which until I know better I have baptized en¬

teritis, has now completely recovered, and is the gem of a brilliant

series, slim and tight as any wild bird can well he.


Eulampis jugularis. As I gave in my articles of the past

year a long description of these Colibris, imported by us from

Guadeloupe nearly two years ago, I won’t weary my readers with

a repetition. As time goes by and moult succeeds moult, the birds

seem to gain steadily in strength and condition. None are more

greedy for flies. They have grown quite hardy and, last summer,

up to the date of the new humming-birds’ arrival, lived for weeks

day and night by the open window.


Though I have no doubt taken up my full share of this paper

and can fancy our Editor sending for the dreaded scissors of cen¬

sure, perhaps it is not out of place to give here in a few words the

year’s record of my sunbirds. Two malachites (Nectarinici famosco)

are now in the glory of their nuptial dress, one of them after waver¬

ing for months, during the fine season, between the grays of winter

plumage and the half-donned green silks of summer clothing. The

same may be said at the present moment of two lesser double-

collared sunbirds (Cimiyris chalybceus), both in perfect health but

showing amongst the green feathers of their back many spots of

gray, which are slow in disappearing. Both have been in my

possession some three years.


A purple sunbird (Arachnechthra asiatica) has just completed

his first moult into the violets of maturity, and shares with a lovely

little amethyst-rumped (Arachnechthra zeylonica) the privilege of

rivalling my best humming-birds for condition.


My wedge-tailed sunbird ( Anthrobaphes violacea ) has success¬

fully undergone his second moult since he came over in October

1914. He has learned to take any small soft-skinned insects from

my fingers and devours mealworms, provided they are decapitated

before they are served : he will then suck out the whole of the

inside, inserting his long thin tongue into the hole as into a fragrant

flower, until only the empty shell remains in my hand.



