CINNYRIS MAFORENSIS.
Mafoor-Island Black Sun-bird.
Chalcostetha aspasia, var. ma/orensis, Meyer, Sitz. k. Akad. Wissensch. in Wien, lxx. p. 123 (18 7 4 ).—Sclater,
Ib is, 1874, p . 419.
Hermotimia ma/orensis, Salvad. A tti R. Accad. Torino, x. p p . 208, 227 (1 8 7 4 ), xii. p . 301 (1877).
Cinnyris ma/orensis, Shelley, Monograph o f th e Cinnyridee, p a r t v. (18 7 7 ).
T h is species is the representative o f the Black Sun-birds in the island o f Mafoor, situated in Geelvink
Bay. It was discovered by Dr. Meyer during his expedition to New Guinea, and has been allowed to he
specifically distinct by Count Salvadori and Captain Shelley. I must say that I feel considerable
compunction in admitting these species; they seem to me to be rather races o f one form. But a good
many specimens o f all these different Sun-birds have been procured by the travellers ; and tbe characters,
if slight, are constant. As might be expected, there has been nothing written on tbe habits o f this Sun-
bird ; so that I have only to transcribe the single paragraph given by Captain Shelley respecting i t :—
“ The present species belongs to the division o f the ‘ Hermotimia ’ group in which the lower back is
green. It only differs from C. aspasia in the golden colour o f the crown, which in this bird is only faintly
tinted with green in certain lights. It is also slightly larger. As far-as we yet know, it is entirely
confined to the small island o f Mafoor, in the Bay o f Geelvink.”
The following description is also taken from Captain Shelley’s work.
Adult male. Black with a deep-blue gloss, the entire crown golden; the least median series o f wing-
coverts, the scapulars, the lower half o f the back, and the upper tail-coverts metallic green very slightly
shaded with blue; a few o f the1 outer greater wing-coverts and the tail-feathers edged with the same
colour; chin and throat violet-shaded steel-blue. Total length 4 inches, culmen 0*75, wing 2 ‘5, tail 1*5,
tarsus 0*65.
Two male birds are represented in tbe Plate, of the size of life. They were lent to me by Dr. Meyer.