Darlings of children and of bard, Perfect kinds by vice unmarred, All of worth and beauty set Gems in Nature’s cabinet: These the fables she esteems Reality most like to dreams. —Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Nature.” The sun-birds bear a similar relation to the oriental tropics that the humming birds do to the warmer regions of the Western hemisphere. Both have a remarkably brilliant plumage which is in harmony with the gorgeous flowers that grow in the tropical fields. It is probable that natives of Asia first gave the name sun-birds to these bright creatures because of their splendid and shining plumage. By the Anglo-Indians they have been called hummingbirds, but they are perching birds while the hummingbirds are not. There are over one hundred species of these birds. They are graceful in all their motions and very active in their habits. Like the hummingbirds, they flit from flower to flower, feeding on the minute insects which are attracted by the nectar, and probably to some extent on the honey, for their tongues are fitted for gathering it. However, their habit while gathering food is unlike that of the hummingbird, for they do not hover over the flower, but perch upon it while feeding. The plumage of the males nearly always differs very strongly from that of the females. The brilliantly colored patches are unlike those of the hummingbirds for they blend gradually and are not sharply contrasted, though the iridescent character is just as marked. The bills are long and slender, finely pointed and curved. The edges of the mandibles are finely serrated. The nests are beautiful structures suspended from the end of a bough or even from the underside of a leaf. The entrance is near the top and usually on the side. Over the entrance a projecting portico is often constructed. The outside of the nest is usually covered with coarse materials, apparently to give the effect of a pile of rubbish. Two eggs are usually laid in these cozy homes, but in rare instances three have been found. The Philippine Sun-bird of our illustration is a native of the Philippines and is found on nearly all the islands from Luzon to Mindanao. The throat of the male has a beautiful iridescence shaded with green, while that of the female, shown on the nest, is yellow. Fly, white butterflies, out to sea, Frail pale wings for the winds to try; Small white wings that we scarce can see Here and there may a chance-caught eye Fly. Note, in a score of you, twain or three Brighter or darker of tinge or dye; Some fly light as a laugh of glee, Some fly soft as a long, low sigh: All to the haven where each would be— Fly. —Swinburne. [Illustration: PHILIPPINE YELLOW-BREASTED SUN-BIRD. (Cinnyris jugularis). Life-size. FROM COL. CHI. ACAD. SCIENCES.]