The Common Birds of the Nilgiris 



tongue the nectar hidden away in their calyces. 

 He is especially addicted to gladioli. His 

 head gets well dusted with yellow pollen, which 

 he carries like a bee from one bloom to another. 

 In the case of flowers with very deep calyces, 

 he sometimes makes short cut to the honey by 

 piercing with his sharp curved bill a hole in the 

 side through which to insert the tongue. The 

 cock purple sunbird needs no description. His 

 glistening metallic plumage compels attention. 

 He is usually accompanied by his spouse, who 

 is earthy brown above and pale yellow below. 



The other sunbird commonly seen in hill- 

 gardens is one appropriately named the tiny 

 sunbird orhoneysucker {Arachnechthra minima), 

 being less than two-thirds the size of a sparrow. 

 As is usual with sunbirds, the cock is attired 

 more gaily than the hen. He is a veritable 

 feathered exquisite. Dame Nature has lavished 

 on his diminutive body most of the hues to be 

 found in her well-stocked paint-box. His 

 forehead and crown are metallic green. His 

 back is red, crimson on the shoulders. His 

 lower plumage might be a model for the colour- 

 ing of a Neapolitan ice-cream ; from the chin 

 downwards it displays the following order of 

 colours : lilac, crimson, black, yellow. The 



