210



Correspondence, Notes, etc.



not been so unwise as to send it to the Crystal Palace Show. It became

more lively every day, and at length commenced to sing. One can hardly

hope to get a bird into show condition within four weeks of its arrival, but

the life of a Sun Bird in England is too uncertain to be sure of its living

another year, so I decided to exhibit it at once. On the Monday of the

Show it was reported to me that the bird was in a bad way, and I sent to

beg the manager to allow me to remove it from the Show. I think a warm

bath and freedom from the further attention of visitors might have pulled

it round. But the manager was obdurate. So many people were asking to

see the Sun Bird that he could not let it go. I believe it was still alive at

the close of the Show, but when it arrived home in the evening it was dead.


The faulty condition of the poor Sun Bird was emphasised by the

perfect condition of its near neighbours, the exhibits of Mr. S. M. Townsend,

more especially his Black-backed Tauager. Is this bird correctly named ?

I am open to correction, but I think not. The books I have seen on the

subject give a very different description for the Black-backed Tanager

{Euphonia melanonota) to the coloured plate of Mr. Townsend’s bird in

Bird Notes. The skin labelled Black-backed Tanager in the British Museum

collection also differs. I think Mr. Townsend’s bird is the Black-shouldered

Tanager (Calliste melanota). L. W. Hawkins.


[We quite admit that a Sun Bird is a most difficult bird to import and

to keep in captivity, and perhaps we were a little hard on Mr. Hawkins’

specimen in our report of the Show. Nevertheless the Malachite Sun Bird

is a very common bird in South Africa, and with care it should not be at all

impossible for a skilful aviculturist to bring home several specimens. But

the point we intended to emphasize was that when the judging took place

the Sun Bird was evidently decidedly out of sorts, while the equally rare

Black-backed Tanager was quite perfect.


Mr. Hawkins’ Sun Bird was fed on honey at the Show and, we under¬

stand, during the voyage home, but we are not by any means convinced

that this is the correct food for these birds. Stark informs 11s that this

species feeds, not only on the saccharine juices of various flowering shrubs,

but also on insects which it finds among the petals, and especially upon

small beetles and spiders, while it sometimes catches flies on the wing.

When the nectar from flowers has passed through the body of the bee and

become honey, it is chemically changed into quite a different substance to

that which the Sun Birds obtain in a wild state. Captain Pam found that

the best food for Humming Birds was syrup made from molasses, to which

was added a small amount of meat extract to take the place of insects. It

seems probable that this would be a more suitable food than honey for Sun

Birds also, and possibly Mr. Hamlyn might have been more successful in

importing these birds had he used it.


It is not encouraging to an exhibitor, who begs for permission to take

a bird home when he sees that it will die if left at the Show, to be told by



