IS 



second Humming-bird stood in the air over the basin. 

 And as the first one saw this it stopped washing, it sprang 

 up into the air and attacked furiously the intruder. And 

 as they were fighting the golden headfeathers were in 

 constant play, whilst yellowish spots near the eye seemed 

 to sparkle for excess of colour. 



And whilst they were fighting another Colibri of the 

 same kind appeared and began to splash in the basin and 

 from all sides they were coming, and there was great 

 warfare and a great ivashmg and sometimes as many as 

 seven were all washing whilst above the basin the little 

 warriors fought their battle to interrupt it by suddenly 

 dropping into the water. 



It was all not three feet from my face and it was a 

 sight never to be forgotten and I thought that if I should 

 see nothing else that might interest me in Chili this sight 

 would have been worth coming over land and sea all 

 those weary miles! 



And after they had all washed at their hearts content 

 they one by one sprang into the air and disappeared. 



But they were not far away yet, but sat in the Eucalypti 

 and the Cypres-trees and dried their feathers, so that all 

 their beauty that had left them, came back to them. 



And after this they one by one uttered a sharp shriek 

 and were gone. 



I continued my way to the top of the Santa Lucia and 

 admired the view, but not all the glories of the snowclad 

 Andes could efface the delightful sight of the homelife of the 

 Goldencrowned Humming-bird {Eustephamis galeritus MoL). 



One day after having gone over the Mercado Central to 

 look for birds I was rather disappointed as I saw only a 

 few Zonotrichia pileata^ some Phnjgilus aldimatii, which is 

 supposed to be larger than the more southern form, Phr. 

 gaiji^ and certainly is lighter in colour, also some Turdus 

 magellanicus and some Bolh. monachus. I then went on to 

 see what birds were in the nearly dry riverbed which is 

 close by. 



Notes from the Lieyden ]VIuseiim, Vol. XXXV. 



