slender green species, nearly six feet in length, infests
the fig-trees when in fruit; and, twisting its tail around
a branch, it coils itself up ready to spring at any bird
unwary enough to venture sufficiently close. One of
these I saw shot; and it had a double row of hooked
fangs in its wide set jaws, admirably adapted to hold
anything once within its grasp.
Perhaps the most lovely and interesting of all, however,
are the sun-birds, which are here in the East the
representatives of the true humming-birds of the Western
tropics. “ They are ethereal, gay, and sprightly in their
movements, flitting briskly from flower to flower, and
assuming a thousand lovely and agreeable attitudes». As
the sunbeams glitter on their bodies, they sparkle like
so many precious stones, and exhibit at every turn a
variety of bright and evanescent hues. As they hover
around the honey-laden blossoms, they vibrate their
tiny pinions so rapidly, as to cause a slight whirring
sound, but not so loud as the humming noise produced
by the true humming birds. Occasionally they may
be seen clinging by their feet and tail busily engaged
in rifling the blossoms of the trees. I well remember
a certain dark-leaved tree with scarlet flowers, that
especially courted the attention of the sun-birds; and
about its blossoms they continually darted with eager and
vivacious movements. With this tree they seemed particularly
delighted, clinging to the slender twigs, and
coquetting with the flowers, thrusting in their slender
curved beaks, and probing with their brush-like tongues
for insects and nectar, hanging suspended by their feet,
throwing back their little glossy heads, chasing each
other on giddy wing, and flirting and twittering, the
gayest of the gay. Some were emerald-green, some vivid
violet, and others yellow, with a crimson wing.”
Sir Jas. Emerson Tennent describes them as being
common in Ceylon, where they frequent the gardens, and
rifle the blossoms of the passifloras, and other flowers ;
at other times searching for small insects and spiders,
and again pluming themselves, and warbling their pleasing
songs on the pomegranate-trees. “ I f two happened to
come to the same flower—and from their numbers this
has often occurred—a battle always ensued, which ended
in the vanquished bird retreating from the spot with
shrill piping cries, while the conqueror would take up
his position upon a flower or stem, and swinging his
little body to and fro, till his coat of burnished steel
gleamed and glistened in the sun, pour out his song of
triumph.” The rich plumage of the dainty little male
birds is only seen during the breeding season, after which
they moult, and are as unattractive as their mates. Two
tiny eggs are laid in a wee nest, which is suspended
from a twig, or sometimes the stout web of a large
spider is made to bear the little shelter for eggs and
young.
The spiders in the jungle, and old buildings of the
East, are numerous; and some are of an alarming size,
but of beautiful colours. One large, black, yellow-
spotted species measures six or eight inches across its
extended legs, and its web is held in position by grey
lines, almost as stout as fine sewing-cotton, and strong
enough to pull one’s hat off. It is a very disagreeable
sensation to feel them across one’s face, as often happens
in a little used jungle-path. Ants are particularly plentiful
; and the white termites throw up mounds of red
earth, five or six feet in height, and often do much
damage by burrowing into the piles of houses, and other
buildings. The species of ants vary much in size.
One is a tiny red fellow, but little larger than a cheese