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of the sun-birds. Their plumage is rich and varied with bright 
metallic gloss. You must have frequently noticed these little birds, 
hardly bigger than a butterfly, in gardens, and where a few flowers 
adorn the place, more so in spring. It hovers with the gentlest, 
tread, driving its long tubular bill in scented Honey-suckles and 
Wall-flowers with grace and elegance or goes head first into large 
Rhododendron flowers, scarcely bending the pendent branches, the 
blossoms are attached to. At times these interesting little birds 
find, the brushing away of thick pollen too much for their delicate 
eyes, so they pierce, with their long beaks the flower cups, just 
where the honey can be tapped, and suck out the juice with im- 
punity. These little pollen distributers seem to select or discard 
for the day one particular genus or family of plants to draw out the 
the nectar, with the discrimination of connoisseurs. <A few of the 
following species, have representatives in the district :— 
225) ANTHOPYGA MILES, Himalayan Red Honey-sucker, or Yellow- 
backed Honey-sucker as it is sometimes called. This beautiful little 
Sun-Bird is fairly common in spring in our gardens, and more so 
when the Goorbeach (as Lepchas call this tree) is in flower. These 
long tail-like clusters of flowers well stocked with perfume and 
honey attract numbers of little birds, also when the gorgeous look- 
ing Red Rhododendrons are in bloom. It arrives in early spring 
and leaves again about end of July. They breed in more wooded 
parts of the district hetween 6,000 and 7,000 feet elevation. Their 
nests are difficult to find as they are artfully hidden away among dense 
foliage. Suspended to a twig, a flask shaped construction of moss, 
well interwoven, and plastered without with cob-webs; inside is 
neatly lined with soft silky fibres, usually collected from orchid seed 
pods, or other flowering parasites. This little pear-shaped abode 
is entered, from the side, eggs are small, oval in shape, white in 
colour finely streaked and speckled at the large end. This bird 
can be made out by its dark sanguineous colour, on lesser wine- 
coverts, back and about the head; upper tail coverts dark green: 
rump bright yellow; wings brownish green; breast. brilliant scarlet- 
carmine ; under parts of the body brownish green.  J/iles is 6 inches 
in length. 
(226) AXrHopyGA Vicorsit, Violet-eared Red Honey-sucker. Though 
a rarer bird up here than Jiles, it is occasionally seen flitting about 
the flowers. It appears to have a greater amount of metallic green. 
It has scarlet on the throat, neck and breast; shoulders and scapu- 
lars are sanguineous; bright yellow on the lower back, forms a big- 
ger patch than Miles has. The shining violet feathers are not easily 
observed, as Honey-suckers are restless little birds, It has violet 
