52 CARDINAL-BIRDS. 



supposed, becomes dull-greenish grey or brown in colour for 

 the last three or four months. Now the smaller birds so 

 exactly resemble the dry grass in colour that I have frequently 

 been startled to see a bird start up from a spot only a few 

 yards in front of me, upon which I had had my eyes fixed 

 for some seconds and had not detected the slightest sign of a 

 living creature. There is, however, a small bird about the 

 size of a lark which is extremely conspicuous during the 

 warm season from its livery of brilliant scarlet. In a grove 

 of mango-trees close to our house at Antananarivo, these 

 little cardinal-birds were very plentiful during the breeding 

 season, darting from tree to tree like living flames, often 

 engaged in fierce conflict with each other for the favour of 

 the females. These latter are quite a contrast to the males, 

 being clad in as sober a suit of brown as an English sparrow. 

 I have occasionally seen the male birds in flocks of from 

 thirty to forty together in the rice-fields. The male bird is 

 in the habit of choosing the very tip of the highest branch 

 of the trees, where he sits for a few seconds, but speedily 

 darts off. There are several species found in Madagascar 

 and the Mascarene Islands, some having scarlet only on the 

 breast. The typical bird of the genus (called fddy by the 

 natives) is entirely scarlet except the wings ; but the colour 

 becomes much less brilliant after the breeding season is over. 

 The bird belongs to the family of the Ploceidas or weaver- 

 finches. 



There are few streams or sheets of water in Madagascar 

 where one will not see species of a bird not quite so 

 conspicuous as the scarlet fddy, but as large and quite as 

 beautiful — the kingfisher. The most conspicuous species in 

 the interior is a bird with most lovely purplish-blue body 

 and wings, with yellow breast and scarlet throat (Alcedo 

 vintsoides). Its food appears to be chiefly aquatic insects, and 

 not fish. 



In some accounts of the natural history of Madagascar it 

 is said that humming-birds have been discovered there. 

 But this is no doubt a mistake, as the Trochilida3 are believed 

 to be confined to the New World. There are, however, 

 several species of Nectarinidas, or sun-birds, as they are 



