268



Mr. G. A. Heumann,



on many a dead little songster, many a beautifully-coloured corpse,

and I often felt as if I should like to give the hobby up and stop this

murdering by my incapability to keep them alive. The majority I

can now safely bring on to eat artificial food, set into my aviaries,

and they will live with me for years. Others, like the Fly-catchers,

are still a closed book to me, yet I believe even they may be kept in

confinement if taken young from the nest and reared up. To sum

up my experience of Australian birds and such from other countries,

be they seed-eaters or otherwise, I have come to the conclusion that,

as far as those are concerned which I have had the pleasure of

handling, the Australian birds are infinitely harder to keep and their

lives are shorter as well.


Judging by a number of letters I have at various times

received from English fanciers, I thought it might interest not a few

of the readers of the Avicultural Magazine if I tell them something

about N.S.W. birds I have kept which were nearly all caught

by myself, and I feel sure many of our beautiful Soft-bills could,

with proper care and attention, be landed safely in England.


There is a wave of fashion just now passing through the bird-

lovers of England. The magic word is “ Sun-bird,” so I will com¬

mence with the only Sun-bird we have just now in too sunny New

South Wales.


Myzomela sanguinolenta ,* commonly called “ Blood-bird,” and

it richly deserves this name. The head, back, neck, and half-way

down the breast is bright scarlet; abdomen mottled red, grey and

white ; wings and tail sooty black. The hen is all brown and the

young like the hen. The bill is long, very slender, and slightly

curved. These beautiful little birds come around Sydney early in

September when the first gum trees begin to bloom. Never in

quantities, they are still some years more plentiful than in others.

They live high up in the big gums, and early in the morning when

the sun rises their melodious call may be heard in every direction.

November is the month for breeding. The nest is 10 to 20 feet high

up in turpentine trees, wattles, or even fruit trees, but at any time

it is hard to find, as the male bird gives no clue as to its where-


*M. Sanguinolenta is not a “ Sun-bird ” proper, but allied to the “ Honey-

eaters.”—E d.



