190 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



perhaps be hard to find more exquisite little birds than these, of 

 Which several species are to be found in Indian gardens. Van 

 Hasselt's Sunbird {Arachnechthra hasselti) is, to my mind, the 

 loveliest of the whole family. It is a small bird, about the size 

 of a Goldcrest, and, indeed, the brilliancy of its plumage rivals 

 many of the far-famed Humming-birds. The male has the 

 whole head shining metallic green, shoulders velvety black, 

 upper back purplish green, throat bronze, under parts bright 

 red. This description, I fear, cannot do justice to the bird, but 

 some colours in nature almost defy description. The females of 

 Honeysuckers are quite dull little birds, having for the most part 

 a mixture of olive-green and yellow. The Purple Honeysucker 

 (A. asiatica) is a common species in many gardens in Bengal, 

 and has for so small a bird a very loud and clear song, resembling 

 that of the English Wren. The nest is made of cobwebs and 

 moss, oval in shape, with an entrance-hole at the side, and this 

 is usually suspended from a twig, rarely from the eaves of 

 houses. The Amethyst-rumped Honeysucker (A. zeylonica) is 

 often sold as a cage-bird in Calcutta, and I believe does well for 

 a time. A friend of mine had one which was fed on a moistened 

 sugary paste. 



" Fine feathers do not always make fine birds " is certainly 

 true with regard to the Indian Boiler (Coracias indica), which 

 has a harsh unpleasant cry, and is moreover one of the most 

 pugnacious of Indian birds, and rarely loses an opportunity of 

 fighting with one of its own kin and sundry other birds. The 

 Indian Boiler — or, as it is better known to residents in India, as 

 "Blue Jay" — is, like the Golden Oriole and King-Crow, one of 

 the features of an Indian landscape, and I do not think I am 

 exaggerating when I say that on a journey from Bombay to 

 Tirhoot, in Bengal, I saw from the carriage window, on an 

 average, one Blue Jay for every two or three telegraph-poles. 

 I once read in some book that the American globe-trotter's name 

 for the Boiler was " Surprise Bird," and I think a very good 

 name too. Seen as it sits on the telegraph-wires or posts, it is 

 not much to look at, but see it as it takes to flight, and the 

 startling display of dark and light blue is very striking. When 

 not engaged in quarrelling the Boiler is a sedentary and lazy 

 bird, only leaving its perch to chase some passing insect. I have 



