

IOO



eater before; but as they looked something like Zosterops, I

thought I would try them with “ egg flake.” They went for this

fairly well, but they did not keep very tight in feather. I then

tried bananas ; they appreciated these up to a certain point, but

still I knew that the food did not altogether suit them.


I then thought over their name—Honey-eaters ! but then

I had read such sad accounts of what honey did for birds, that I

hesitated to try it. However, I thought, it is “live and learn,”

and perhaps, after all, honey will not hurt them. Accordingly I

sent one of my children down to a cottage where the} 7 keep

bees, with a request for a jar of their best new honey. In

fear and trembling, I put a small jar into the cage, and it was

really laughable to see the way in which those poor little beggars

went for the sweet stuff. They were down almost before my

hands were out of the cage, as much as to say, “ Why in the

world did not you think of this before! ” From that day to this

they touch little else, so far as I can see. They have banana,

but it goes out untouched ; also egg, but it is despised. Honey

is the only food they care for. It is a pretty sight to see first one

and then the other settle on the honey jar, and insert their long

tongues in the savoury mess.


They are now in the most beautiful feather and perfect

health. They went all through the late bitter weather in a

perfectly cold room : where the water in their cage was frozen

into a solid block every night, but they did not appear to suffer

at all. I rather feared they would go off : as they are not very

thickly covered with feathers. We had 25 0 of frost !


They are wonderfully tame little things, and will let me

put my face quite close to them without moving. In shape they

are graceful, and about twice as big as a Zosterops.


The beak is yellow, tipped with horn-colour ; the eyes are

dark brown, encircled with a little yellow rim ; the legs and feet

lead-colour ; the head, back, wings, and tail a pretty soft sort of

olive-green ; the breast soft mouse-colour. Under the wing-

butts there is a patch of saffron, darker in the cock than the hen.

Each of the birds has, on the cheek, a half-moon crescent of

saffron-yellow-—hence their name of “ Eunulated.”


Their call-note is peep, peep, peep ; repeated rather rapidly.

They are very fond of bathing.


In the summer, if all goes well, I intend to put the Honey-

eaters and a pair of Zosterops, out into a little garden-aviary,

and see if they will reproduce their kind.



