BRITISH GUIANA (1) 119 
of all humming-birds to spend much of their day chasing a rival. 
The latter never seems to be caught, and there is little or no actual 
fighting, but in this case, the fact of the birds pursuing one an- 
other blindly through gaps in the gloomy under-forest enabled 
me to catch them off guard. I doubt if any hermit would get 
caught when leading its normal solitary existence. It would be 
much too quick and wide awake for that. The birds I caught were 
killed by a storm when in the nets, and on sexing them I found 
them both to be cocks. 
I would normally not try to catch this species as it is most 
difficult to keep in captivity on account of its mainly insectivorous 
diet. The usual humming-bird liquid food is quite unsuitable, 
and the four specimens I tried to establish all died in course of 
time. All these six that came into my hands were males. From 
this it is not possible to draw definite conclusions, but an explana- 
tion could be that the Cayenne Wood-hermit, instead of pairing 
in the usual way, has evolved the idea of special gathering-grounds 
for unpaired males, where they can indulge in community singing 
until some female with an urge is attracted by the racket and 
decides to choose a mate. 
One of my most interesting captive birds was a sun-bittern 
which I used to let loose on the lawn daily, for the dual purpose 
of exercising itself and catching grasshoppers. This beautiful 
creature with long neck and beautifully mottled plumage of gray, 
brown, and gold, and also a certain amount of red, white, and 
black, is what might be described as a bird with a personality. It 
has no close relationship with anything else, but in the systematic 
list is conveniently placed near a few other equally difficult birds, 
all of which are referred to as aberrant cranes, though they show 
affinities also with bustards and rails. 
For its size—that of a small pullet—it has more self-assurance 
than any other bird. It moves along slowly with measured step 
as if in the act of stalking, making a mournful high-pitched 
drawn-out whistle, while slowly swaying its body and making 
snakelike movements with its long neck. It takes a lot to disturb 
the bird’s air of stately composure. 
One day a dog, belonging to some visitors, spied my sun-bittern 
on the lawn and rushed at it. I expected to see the poor creature 
