MADAGASCAR (II) 179 
Sunbird—a species confined to this island—and I had only an 
hour in which to operate. 
Unfortunately I was followed by a crowd of curious youths, 
but in the main square I spotted a clump of hibiscus bushes in 
bloom. The fact of stopping and watching these bushes increased 
the curiosity of my followers, but I was determined to see it 
through, much as I dislike performing in public. In a few minutes 
an Anjouan Sunbird arrived and I watched its movements closely. 
There was one very prominent bloom which received a lot of 
attention from the sunbird. I decided to try my hand at that one, 
though the number of adjacent blooms greatly reduced my 
chances of success. I quickly limed a small twig and inserted it 
into a cut at the base of the flower petiole in such a position that 
the bird would almost certainly perch on it to feed. I stood back 
while the crowd increased. 
A male sunbird soon arrived and spent much time feeding from 
the flowers on every side of the bush except the right one, but 
finally worked nearer and nearer to the chosen flower. Such mo- 
ments are always exciting. At last he settled on the prepared 
twig. Sunbirds are so adept at getting off that I was dashing 
towards it at the moment of its settling. If the bird escaped when 
I was but a few feet away, I visualized the crowd roaring with 
laughter. By a split second, for the bird was nearly off, I avoided 
any such loss of face, and having cleaned my prize and put him 
safely in a covered box, I hurriedly made my way back to the 
ship. This is the only Anjouan Sunbird that has ever been ex- 
ported alive from its island home. 
