THE NEPAUL SUN-BIRD. 181 



This exquisite little gem is by no means rare in 

 the dense forests of which we have spoken. It 

 finds in the thick foliage an abundance of spiders, 

 ants, and other insects, on which it feeds, and is 

 seen flitting among the deep recesses like a sun- 

 beam. 



There is another beautiful bird in this locality, 

 called the Nepaul Sun-Bird. The head, throat, 

 and neck are blue, and there is a crescent-shaped 

 band of chestnut on the breast. The under parts 

 of the body are yellow, and the middle of the 

 breast is of bright orange. I might tell you of 

 still another Sun-Bird found here ; but only one 

 specimen has reached us, and that had been 

 greatly injured. 



On the sides of the neck are two stripes, or, 

 as they are called, moustaches, of a rich blue, 

 changing into violet and pink. The tail feathers 

 are of the same rich colours ; and they are broad 

 at the base, and loose from each other, so that the 

 bird can spread them out like a fan. The under 

 part of the body is black. 



