274 Another attempt at breeding Yellow-winged sugar-birds.


morning, Sunday (why do all disasters from burst pipes to aviary

catastrophies invariably happen on Sunday?) when I brought “early

tea” as usual I found one young bird on the ground and the parents

wildly excited, so much so that the smaller bird was forgotten and

all but dead from cold. It was taken to the kitchen and presently

revived, and I picked up No. 1 and restored both to their nest, saw

the mother feed them and went off to church. When I came back

an hour later the best one was dead in the nest with a mealworm

hanging out of its beak. I thought at first it had been choked, but

now I believe that it voided the mealworm just before death. It was

a beautiful young bird, well feathered about the body and quite

plump. No. 2 was still lively and I hoped to save it at least, but

still only mealworms could be supplied and presently it refused food

and by the evening had joined its brother. I wish now I had tried

to rear it by hand, but most likely it would have died all the same.

Both had undigested mealworms in their crops, and I feel sure that

could the food have been more varied they would have been fully

reared.


The parents were very sad for some days, especially the

mother who frequently visited the empty nest calling the while and

then returned to her favourite perch to brood mournfully over her

loss. I am afraid she looked on me as the malefactor.


My object in writing so fully about this attempt and its failure

is to show that, given a normal summer and leisure and opportunity

to get varied living food there would be no great difficulty in breed¬

ing this species of sugar-bird. A few mealworms do no harm, for

instance I think they could be used for the fii'st meal of the day

before the dew has dried sufficiently to admit of “sweeping” and

other food might follow it up. I suppose that soon after they have

left the nest the young ones would he introduced to the usual diet of

sop and fruit. I have seen it stated that sugar-birds build domed

nests: but all the three species, viz., blue, red-throated, and yellow,

winged, which went to nest here, made no attempt at anything

beyond the usual cup very daintily built. Of coui’se they may do

differently in their native country, it has often been noticed how

birds will adapt themselves and vary their custom under artificial

conditions, but it is rather difficult to see why this particular change



