THE BIRDS OE AUSTRALIA. 
the blossoms, especially those of a species of Sciadophyllurn ; this singular 
tree is furnished with enormous spike-like racemes of small flowers, which 
attract numbers of insects, and thus furnish an abundant supply of food to 
the present bird and many species of Meliphagidse. Its note, which is a 
sharp shrill cry, prolonged for about ten seconds, may be represented by 
‘ Tsee-isee-tsee-tss-ss-ss-ss.’ The male appears to bo of a pugnacious dis¬ 
position, as I have more than once seen it drive away and pursue a visitor 
to the same tree ; perhaps, however, this disposition is only exhibited during 
the breeding season. I found its nest on several occasions . . . contained 
a young bird, and an egg with a chick ahnost ready for hatching. The 
female was seen approaching with a mouthful of flies to feed the young. 
A nest was found . . . contained two young birds, and I saw- the mother 
visit them twice with an interval of ten minutes between; she glanced past 
like an arrow, perched on the nest at once, clinging to the lower side of the 
entrance, and looked round very carefully for a few seconds before feeding 
the young, after which she disappeared as suddenly as she had arrived." 
Ramsay recorded Rainbird’s notes from Port Denison: “ Numbers of 
this beautiful little Sun-Bird may be seen on bright mornings among the 
leafy tops of the mangrove belts near Port Denison. They are ever darting 
out to capture some insect on the wing, returning and disappearing again 
in the thick foliage, or perching upon some topmost twig, to devour their 
captures, and show their sinning purple breasts glittering in the sun. During 
the hottest part of the day the Sun-Birds betake themselves to the thick scrub, 
which in many places runs down to the Avater’s edge. They breed in the 
months of November and December.” 
Mr. Thos. P. Austin has written me : “I often saAv this species while in 
North-eastern Queensland during the spring of 1907. They appear to take 
a great delight in building their nests to hanging pieces of rope suspended 
under verandah, such as where blinds or hammocks have been hung. I 
saw tAvo of their nests in such a situation, at an hotel at Harvey’s creek about 
25 miles south from Cairns, and I was informed that the birds came there 
to breed every year. I only saw one nest aAvay from a dAvelling; this was 
placed about five feet from the ground in a large leaved shrub, growing on 
the bank of a tidal creek a feAv miles north from Mackav. It was a very hot 
day and I got off the bicycle I A\ r as riding and went under the shade of this 
bush for a rest, when a pair of Sun-Buds almost immediately put in an 
appearance, the female soon going on the nest, which was Avithin a few feet 
of my face and contained tAvo fresh eggs.” 
Cornwall has recorded from Maekay, North Queensland : “ Our lovely 
little representative of the large family of Humming Birds, the Sun-Bird 
V 
234 
