256 NECTAETNIID^. 



the first time, I saw the male bird near the nest. All through the 

 time of construction, so far as my observation went, he never 

 assisted the female in the slightest degree. Now he seemed 

 exceedingly happy, fluttered every now and then about the nest, 

 and after each careful inspection he was so seemingly pleased with 

 the handiwork of his mate that he perched on an adjoining branch 

 and poured forth a joyous strain, flapping his wings and making 

 his axillary feathers rotate in the most extraordinary manner. On 

 the 13th of May the young were hatched, and I never once observed 

 the male coming near the nest to feed them ; about the 24th 

 the birds were well fledged. It does seem strange that the male 

 of this species should not take any part in the construction of the 

 nest, the hatching or the rearing of the young ; but I presume 

 that the reason of this is, that his conspicuous plumage about the 

 nest would attract the attention of birds that might destroy it. 

 While in Oudh I had a nest of this bird brought to me with two 

 hard-set eggs on the 7th April, and another nest with feathered 

 young on the 10th April ; again on the 14th April, I had a nest 

 Drought me with three eggs. The eggs were a pale bluish green, 

 with delicate freckles of neutral tint, most abundant on the thick 

 end. In Agra I have taken the nests in June and July." 



Dr. Jerdon has told us that " a pair built their nest just outside 

 my house-door at Jalna. It was commenced on a thick spider's 

 web, by attaching to it various fragments of paper, cloth, straw, 

 grass, and other substances, till it had secured a firm hold of the 

 twig to which the spider's web adhered, and the nest suspended on 

 this was then completed by adding other fragments of the same 

 materials. The entrance was at one side near the top, and had a 

 slightly projecting roof or awning over it." 



Major C. T. Bingham remarks : ;< This Sun-bird breeds com- 

 monly both at Allahabad and at Delhi in March, April, and May." 



Mr. Benjamin Aitken remarks : " IQtk January, 1871. Pound 

 a nest in a babool tree at Akola, Berar, about 7 feet from the 

 ground. It contained two eggs, which were exactly alike. They 

 were taken by me two or three days after they were laid, and the 

 birds then forsook the nest. 



" This species is by no means regular in the period during which 

 it undergoes change of plumage, and I have once at least seen two 

 males on the same day, one in summer plumage, and the other in 

 full breeding-plumage " *. 



Colonel E. A. Butler writes from Sind regarding this species : 

 " Nests were abundant at Hyderabad in May and June." 



Again, from Deesa he records the following strange incident : 

 " A Honey-sucker's nest (A. asiatica) was brought to me containing 

 two eggs. I examined them, and fancying they were hard-set, 

 did not attempt to blow them, but placed them on some cotton- 

 wool in a box and left them lying upon my table. 



* I have elsewhere recorded ray belief that the Sun-birds have no seasonal 

 change of plumage. ED. 



