The Hon. Anthony Chaplin—Sunbirds and Others 157


Gardens which appears to want to breed, and which is in very fine

condition. This bird was very weak when it arrived last spring. I had

it in Scotland for a time and fed it largely on spiders, which are no

doubt responsible for a rather remarkable recovery.


Of Flycatchers, Warblers, and Thrushes I have had many species,

including the Yellow, Black and White Xanthopygia xanthopygia

from the Malay States, the little Indian Pied Flycatcher (Cyornis

melanoleuca melanoleuca), which is doing well at present—it has

a pretty song and appears to be hardy, the Guatemalan Thrush-Robin

with a lovely Hermit-thrush-like song, and Eopsaltria australis from

Victoria.


Of the Shrikes, a quaint and very interesting example was Smith’s

Helmet Shrike (Prionops talacoma), which proved as expert at catching

mealworms in the air as any Drongo.


I have also possessed at one time and another several of the

Paradisiidse, including Lophorina superha lattipennis, Cicinnurus

regius, Astrarchia rothschildi, and Diphyllodes magnifica. But I believe

I shall never again keep Paradise Birds ; they are too costly and require

such a quantity of fruit ; moreover it is difficult to provide them with

the right atmosphere, without which the moult is rarely successful.


If I may I should like to exhort those aviculturists who are lucky

enough to procure Sunbirds to pay special attention to the winter

and summer change of plumage, for this is a subject about which very

little is known. I myself am satisfied that the following species lose

the breeding plumage for part of the year : Nectarinia pulchella,

Nectarinia famosa (sometimes), Leptocoma asiatica asiatica,

L. a. intermedia, and Cinnyris bifasciatus microrhynchus (although

some collectors say they have never seen it out of colour at any time

of the year in East Africa). I should be very grateful for any

information from aviculturists on this question, especially as regards

the large and small Double-collared ( C. afer and chalybceus) and the

Malachite [Nectarinia famosa).



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