on Humming-Birds in Captivity. 287


When the birds arrived in the Zoological Gardens we also

gave them a small quantity of sweetened milk which they took

very greedily indeed, but we are unable to say whether this food

was really beneficial or otherwise.


In the former consignments we had experienced consider-

able difficulty owing to the fact that the birds, in taking the

thick solution of molasses sugar, very often dipped their feathers

into the feeding glass, and owing to the sticky nature of the

solution were thus often prevented from flying properly. This

question was most important as the only movement which a

Humming-Bird is capable of is that of flying. It cannot walk

or hop, and if it wishes to move half-an-iuch along the perch on

which it happens to be sitting it has to make use of its wings.

In order to eliminate this danger we arranged for the glasses

containing the solution to be fixed outside the cages with just

sufficient opening for the birds to put their beaks through, and

thus drink without any possibility of making their feathers

sticky. This answered very well indeed, after the birds had got

used to finding their food, but caused a considerable mortality

before they had learnt how to get at it.


Altogether we succeeded in getting thirty-three Humming-

Birds of different species on board the steamer at La Guayra,

Venezuela, and of this number twenty reached London alive.

On board ship the same difficulties which are mentioned above

were met with, and it was very difficult to place the cages in

such a position that they obtained a sufficient quantity of light

and air without being in a draught. But thanks to the interest

displayed in this venture by all the officers and men of the s.s.

"Trent" and to the facilities granted by the Chairman of the

Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. the trouble of bringing the birds

over was very much reduced.


We think that we can now safely say that there are 110

insuperable difficulties in the way of bringing Humming-Birds

alive to this country. The food which, after many trials, we

decided to give them was sufficiently nourishing to keep the

birds in good health and condition : but the one point over

which we unfortunately had no control was the uncertaiMyj)f,

the weather, and inasmuch as even in its native state the



