The Nesfi/irj of the Blue Sugarhird. 22.5 
fellow into an indoor aviary, the walls and roof of which 
he speedily reduced to matchwood. I then turned him out. 
He walked slowly to a small tree (havin^^ lost three feathers 
out of each wing he was firmly convinced that he could not 
possiblj (ly) and razed it to the ground. As a last re- 
source I carried h!m into the quadrangle, where there was 
nothing but stone, grass, and some cut-winged Parrakeets. 
He tried the stone and found it too much for him; he tried 
the grass and decided it was poor game foi' such as he; 
lastly he tried the Parrakeets, and then we had to part. Tn 
his next incarnation I believe he will be a social reformer 
of the advanced school -his destructive genius was so untiring. 
♦ 
The Nesting of the Blue Sugar-bird, 
{Daenis cayana). 
By De. L. Lovell-Keays, F.Z.S. 
The title .sounds hopeful, and, like hope, tells somewhat 
of a flattering tale. In reality the story is more of a tragedy, 
and were my birds human (to me they very nearly are!) my 
story would rival many of those written by the old tragedy 
writers in the days of the ancient Greeks. 1 have purposely 
chosen the Blue Sugar -Bird for many reasons, which will be 
clearer as the story unfolds itself. To begin at the beginning: 
In June of last year I saw two Sugar-Birds advertised 
and a third one for 2s. 6d. I had never kept a soft-bill, 
so I thought I would try my prentice hand on this poor little 
mite begging for a good home at the price of the modest half- 
crown. The bird came to hand quite fit and also quite blind 
in one eye. After a rest of twenty -four hours, I turned it 
out into my aviary with Waxbills, Grassfinehes, Grey Sing- 
ingfinchej, Mannikins, and a Weaver or two. Plow perfectly 
charmed I was with my first soft-bill. The exquisite grace 
of its movements, its confiding nature, its merry little twitter, 
everything in fact that would exemplify the joie de vivre. 
No wonder that shortly afterwards I got another pair from 
Mr. Yealland for a sovereign and turned them out with my 
first. All these were out of colour — a kind of homogeneous 
sea-green. They were the best of friends and the happiest of 
