on the White-bellied Amethyst Starling. 271


mate, and when the light of the setting sun happens to fall 011

the male as he flies by, the play on colours is wonderful,—at one

moment the upper parts and breast may be a deep ruby-red,

flame-like in its intensity ; at the next, as the incidence of the

rays alters, the normal magnificent purple, to be followed perhaps

by another flash of fiery red or by an eclipse-like change to dull

blackish as the bird drops into the shade of some bush.


Their food consists of various berries and busli-fruits,

especially those of the “ Soto ” tree, a kind of wild fig, which is

very plentiful in this country ; one of these, when its fruit is ripe,

is always alive with different species of fruit- or nectar-eating

birds and among the crowd (at any rate from May to October) a

pair of Amethyst Starlings will probably be found. They also

eat a good many insects, especially, I think, those kinds attracted

to over-ripe or rotting fruit, but at times one sees them hunting

for ants or other creeping things on the ground or, more

occasionally, catching insects in the air, particularly the flying

ants as they leave the earth on their first and only nuptial flight

during the early rains.


In captivity this Starling makes a delightful pet, his lovely

plumage, which he keeps in spotless condition, being by no

means his only attraction, for he soon becomes tame, has a fair

share of the usual Starling intelligence, and although he is no

great singer, his notes, a series of soft fluty whistles, are pleasing

to the ear and very different from the harsh screams and cries of

his relations the Glossy Starlings. Besides, as I said above, he

is not at all difficult to cater for; my two birds lived for the first

month after capture almost entirely 011 live “ Bugabug ” or white

ants, the insect food (fortunately for birds, but unfortunately

for the owners of stores and boxes) so easily obtainable in West

Africa. Later on I got out a supply of one of the advertised

mixed “ Insect-foods,” and on this and soaked dog-biscuit the

one which I succeeded in bringing home did well for the three

months he was in my possession.


Eventually he reached the Zoo., fit and well in spite of all

the travelling he had done by land and sea, and there he still

flourishes, eating chiefly the soft-food mixture used there, but

occasionally taking a peck or two at a piece of banana or orange.



