66 THE SUNBIRDS AND THE HOOPOE. 



with shreds of cobweb, until the birds feel that they 

 have made their future home a thoroughly disreput- 

 able object, like nothing so much as the unsightly 

 collections of rubbish which one often sees gathered 

 about the ruins of the deserted web of some large 

 garden spider. And this, in fact, is just what you are 

 meant to take it for. Finally, the nest is well stuffed 

 inside with silk cotton, and the hen bird settles down 

 to her maternal duties, cozy and secure, with her chin 

 resting on the window sill, so that she can see the 

 passers-by. There are just two eggs, of a greenish 

 white colour, with brown spots gathered in a ring- 

 round the larger end. But as a rule, I think, only 

 one of the two is hatched. There are probably two 

 broods in the year, and nests may be found at any 

 season. They last long after the birds have done 

 with them and are common objects on the trees. 



Another species of Sunbird, which Jerdon calls the 

 Purple Honeysucker (Arachnecthra asiatica), may 

 frequently be met with in Bombay, though it is not 

 nearly so common here as in the Deccan. The 

 foundation colour of this kind may be said to be 

 black, but it glitters all over with a sheen which 

 ranges from green to purple. The female is very like 

 that of the last. I have seen a third species in 

 Bombay, the rare and splendid Arachnecthra lotenia 

 (Loten's Sunbird), which Mr. Gates seems to say is 

 not found further north than Ratnagiri. It is very 

 like the last, but is larger and has a noticeably longer 

 and more curved bill. Two other very lovely 

 species are found on the hills, but they have no right 

 to a place in this paper. We have, however, one 

 pther bird which is classed by Jerdon with the Sun- 



