Malayan Ornithology. 505 



ground. The birds are continually hunting under the eaves of 

 our bungalow, picking insects out of the thatch, and returning 

 with them to the nest ; so I suppose it contains young. This 

 morning I timed one of the parent birds make three visits to 

 the nest, Avith its bill full of insects, in less than a minute. 

 They are Cinnyris pectoralls, Horsf. I often have excellent 

 chances of examining them, as they frequently flutter about 

 the verandah within a couple of paces of where I stand. I 

 do not like to molest them while rearing their young, but 

 after the nestlings have flown will cut down the nest,'^ 



Again, I find : — 



" Singapore, 26th April 1879. This morning I stood close 

 to, and watched for a long time, a young Honey-sucker which 

 was flitting about a shrub in front of our Orderly room. It 

 was scarcely able to fly, certainly not more than a few feet 

 at the time ; its upper parts were dull brown, underparts yel- 

 low, no metallic markings. I approached within arm's reach 

 of it, when the parent bird got very excited and fluttered 

 round, piping shrilly ; it was a Cimiyris pectoralis, the same 

 as those which have built in front of our Mess." 



DiCiEUM CRUENTATtJM (Linn.). 



Fairly plentiful. I obtained it in Singapore, Malacca, and 

 Perak ; and I see Jerdon says it is abundant in Assam, to the 

 north of the peninsula. On 13th June 1877 I shot a pair 

 which were flitting about a durian tree close to my hut at 

 Kwala Kangsar. 



Dictum chrysorrhceum, Temm. 



I shot one of these tiny Flower-peckers among the cocoa- 

 nut trees bordering the Bukit-Timah road, Singapore, 10th 

 August 1879. 



It is plentiful in the collections at Malacca, as are most 

 of the small brightly coloured Honey-suckers and Flower- 

 peckers, on account of their selling well ; but now that the 

 fashion of their being worn in ladies^ hats has gone or is 

 going out, it is to be hoped that so many will not be killed 

 as hitherto. 



