206



W. Goodfellow—Familiar Birds of Singapore



feeding. This fruit is relished by many other birds, Pheasants for

one. I always use it when I can, as I consider wild fruits much better

for birds than some of the cultivated ones. It is not pleasant to our

taste.


The last of the real city birds I shall be able to touch on are the

Malay House Swifts (.Micropus affines). A stranger passing along the

deserted streets of the older business parts at night might well wonder

from where all the strange twitterings came, for these birds build

their nests in colonies along the beams of the verandah ceilings over the

sidewalks. These are by no means neat, and look like untidy masses

of old wool and felt, an accumulation of years, and are inhabited all

the year round. The Chinese consider it lucky to have the birds attach

themselves to their premises, so they are never disturbed. So many

of these old buildings are now being pulled down and modern ones

being put up which afford no hold for their nests, that every month

colony after colony have to seek fresh nesting sites. It is difficult to

know what the birds will do in the future under the changed conditions.

I see many have sought refuge in the church spires and the minarets

of the larger mosques, but as these will not suffice some other change

in their habits will have to be made. I examined some nests pulled down

from a condemned building, and as I broke them to pieces clouds of

small moths flew out, and inside they were full of vermin. They are

hard to pull to pieces, like felt but softer, and inside the colour of dirty

wool, although more or less blackish outside, and were mixed with a

little grass, certainly an unsavoury mass. Some contained eggs and a

few very young birds. On the wing the birds look intensely black,

although their colour is really brownish black, and with a conspicuously

white rump. They are silent when flying, and do not assemble in flocks

as our Swifts do in the evening. They must consume an immense

amount of insect life, and for this alone are invaluable in the tropics.

Malay name “ Layang-layang ”.


These “ familiar ” birds I have chosen, with the exception of two

of the Kingfishers, may be met with around any hotel within a few

hours of landing. Those going for a drive round, or to a bungalow, may

see many more, some of which I will write about in the concluding part.


(To be continued)



