EXPLANATORY INDEX. 425 



Waterton was, as usual, perfectly right in his surmises. 

 Several experiments have been made since he was in Guiana, 

 and they have proved the soundness of his reasoning. 



Mr. Webber succeeded in taming a ruby-throated hum- 

 mingbird, which would come from any part of the room, ani 

 eagerly drink sugar and water and honey from a china-cup, 

 perching on the brim, and thrusting its long beak into the 

 sweet mixture as far as the very base. 



The same naturalist afterwards reared a pair of ruby- 

 throats, which were so completely domesticated that, 

 although they went away with their comrades at the usual 

 time of migration, they returned to the house in the follow- 

 ing season and brought their mates with them, so that in 

 time there was quite a family of humming-birds perched 

 upon the cups and drinking. 



He found, however, that they required other food besides 

 nectar, and discovered that they were in the habit of poising 

 themselves before spider-webs, and delicately picking out the 

 spider from the centre of its web. Mr. Gosse, who tamed 

 several humming birds during his stay in Jamaica, found that 

 they required insects as well as syrup, and were especially 

 fond of small ants, that used to crawl into the syrup, and 

 nearly cover its surface with their bodies. 



I may here mention that Bimiti is the native name for 

 Humming-birds in general. Thus K'Ara-Bimiti is ' The Ara 

 Humming bird/ as stated by Waterton. 



I. 



IBIBOUROU (Cyanocorax cayanus). More than twenty 

 species belong to this genus and are all very similar in their 

 habits. They are noisy, sociable birds, loving forests more 

 than the open country. The familiar Blue Jay of North 

 America (Cyanocorax crystatus], belongs to them. 



IGUANA. See "Guana." 



INDIA RUBBER TREE (Ficus elastica). Sometimes called 

 the Caoutchouc Tree. 



