THE



289



Avicultural Magazine,


BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE


AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.



Third Series .— Vol. IV. — No. 10. — All rights reserved. AUGUST, 1913.



SOME OF MY SUNBIRDS.


By Alfred Ezra.


THE AMETHYST BUMPED SUNBIBD.


Arachnecthra zeylonica.


My first experience of this beautiful bird was two years ago,

when I received six, sent by my brother from India. Four of

them were cocks in colour, and the other two looked like hens.

They arrived in very good condition and I only kept two of these.

One in colour, and the other because he was a beautifully shaped

bird. The latter turned out my best, and was evidently a young

cock, as after two months he moulted out a splendid bird and such

a lovely colour! This bird I have shown three times and he has

never been beaten. Both my Amethysts are just going through

their third moult and look as healthy as ever, and so happy. They

have quite a pretty song and make charming pets. The two are

very much alike in their ways, with this exception, that the best

bird goes to bed very early as soon as it gets dark, and will not

move or feed even with the electric lights on, whereas the other is

always jumping about and feeding, and will only retire when the

lights are put out. At the show last winter I had to put my hand

into the cage and wake the former several times to feed.


All my Sunbirds are fed on Mellin’s, Nestle’s, and honey,

and sometimes I make a change and give them Horlick’s Malted

Milk instead of Nestle’s. The proportions are—a heaped-up tea¬

spoonful of each ingredient in a breakfast-cup of boiling water.

They all eat grapes and tiny green flies, but the two Amethysts

have a much larger menu. They will eat, besides the above, lettuce,



