MISCELLANEOUS BIRDS 67 



coral snakes, frequently seem to take up their quarters 

 in the same tree and live on the nestling birds. 



THE SOCIABLE FINCH congregates in flocks up to several 

 hundreds. These flocks construct in common one huge 

 nest divided into numbers of self-contained compart- 

 ments, one for each family of birds. The nests are added 

 to year by year, and attain the size of large hayricks, 

 besides being very solid and heavy. This species does 

 not seem to be recorded beyond the limits of south 

 Africa. 



SUN-BIRDS. The charming little honey suckers rank 

 among the most fascinating of the smaller birds. The 

 plumage of the males is usually brilliant and has a bright 

 metallic gloss which adds to its beauty. As they flit 

 to and fro they may be seen sucking the juices from 

 flowers and plants and dabbing at insects with their long 

 jcurved bills. Most of the species have bodies only some 

 five inches long. 



They are the humming birds of south Africa. 



