on some firefinches and other Gambian birds. 311


Rheinhardt’S BABBLER (Crateropus rheinhardti), caught in

February and doing' well on a diet of biscuit soaked in milk with about

three or four grasshoppers (when obtainable) every day. It is a

brown bird about the size of a Thrush, with a black head and pale

olive green iris. These Babblers are very easy birds to keep on this

milk diet. A pair of C. platycercus, similar birds, but without the

black head of this species, which I caught here some years ago, lived

for six months or more on this diet alone, and part of that time too,

while I was busy elsewhere, were left entirely to the tender mercies

and care of my black cook—a true test of any bird’s powers of

resistance. They reached home and lived there at the Zoo for two

years at least, I think longer.


2. A SUNBIRD (? Cinnyris venustus), a hen unfortunately, but

interesting to me for all that, as the first Sunbird I have ever kept. It

was also caught in March and is doing well on the usual Mellin mixture,

or rather such a modification of that as can be provided out here. A

piece of sugar about the size of a maize grain dissolved in water to

which Mellin (q.s.) is added and three to four drops of milk to make

say a total of two ounces or thereabouts of liquid a day. Two things

about the Sunbird’s food surprised me. The first is how thin they

like the mixture. When I started I made the mixture much too thick,

thinking about the amount of solid food which seemed necessary.

The second is, how great a quantity (considering the size of the bird)

of this thin liquid manages to disappear in a day. From what

Mr. Ezra told me about his birds, when I saw them last year, I

ought to have expected both these things, but being told and finding

out for oneself are never the same, nor make the same impression.

For a time the bird was very keen on small flies as well, and caught any

which entered her cage, but during May when she had a surfeit of

them, as I was then in a particularly fly-infested district, she

lost all interest in that form of diet, and confines herself to her

syrup, except when flying ants are available. These (small ones) she

will eat ad. lib.


These flying ants are the particular delight of all our birds,

whether insect, fruit or seed-eater, both in nature and captivity.

They come out in millions at this time of the year (June), the first

rains, every evening after rain. They vary in size from that of a



