the flowering-season.” The non-appearance of this bird in Damara
Land is curious, as Professor Barboza de Bocage records a specimen
from Biballa in Benguela where it was obtained by Senor Anchieta,
who states that its native name is “ Kanjoi.”
Head, back, and breast metallic-green, blue,. and bronze-shot;
rump blue; wings and tail brown; below the green of the breast is
a narrow blue collar, succeeded by a broad red one, which extends
nearly all over the stomach; vent brown; bright yellow tufts on
each side. Length, 5 |" j wing, 2J" nearly ; tail, 2“ 3'" ; bill,
curved.
Fig. Shelley, Monogr. Cinnyridce, part h.
299. C in n y e is chaltbjsus . Lesser Double-collared Sun-bird.
Nectarinia chalybea, Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 75.
This species is very similar to G. afer, but is smaller, and has the
scarlet breast band less extended and rather darker in colour. This
is a very common species about Cape Town, and as far as Swellen-
dam: there it becomes mixed with the greater double-collared
species, C. afer, which partially ousts it in the George and Knysna
districts, and throughout the Eastern Province, and supplies its place.
I t is one of the boldest and most familiar of our sun-birds, frequenting
the flower-gardens in the midst of Cape Town, and even
venturing into open windows to visit potted plants.
Nests, reported to be of this species, have been brought to us—
pendant, domed, and porticoed structures, like those of others of the
family that we have seen. Eggs, two, minutely mottled grey-brown:
axis, 8"' ; diam. 5y . We can confirm the statements of our
correspondents, having ourselves taken nests of this species containing
eggs and young birds. They breed in September. The
nests are not, however, always pendant, being sometimes supported
by twigs interwoven with their structure. They are usually composed
of cobweb, stuck over with bits of dead leaves, or chips
of thin bark, always placed on the outside of a bush, never among
the branches. We have, however, seen one placed on the side of a
bush close to a rock, so that the bird had to fly round the bush to
get at it. In appearance they exactly resemble the masses made
and collected by one of our commonest spiders; and we have more
than once seen an inhabited spider1 s-web forming part and parcel of
the nest. Whether the nest was built in the web, or whether the
spider found it a convenient place and selected it herself, or was
brought with a bit of web by the birds, and then took up her abode
and enlarged it, we cannot tell; but there the incongruous allies
lived, and each brought up her own brood, or would have done so,
had not we harried them both.
Captain Shelley writes that it is the “ commonest and most
generally distributed of the sun-birds in South Africa; yet it is in a
manner local, being in certain spots replaced by G. afer, from which
it also differs somewhat in its habits, preferring the open country
where the low scattered bushes and tufts of grass afford a shelter more
congenial to its tastes than the woodland districts.” Mr.
Andersson says that he does not recollect having observed this
species north of the Orange river, but he not unfreqnently found it
in Little Namaqua Land. Captain Shelley states that during his visit
to South Africa he found this sun-bird very common at Ceres in the
Cape Colony, at Cape Town and at Mossel Bay. Andersson and
Yictorin have both procured it at the Knysna, and Mr. Rickard
records it from Port Elizabeth and East London, while Mr. T. C.
Atmore has sent us specimens from Eland’s Post. Mr. Ayres states
that “ in Natal these sun-birds appear to be most plentiful in July
and August, resembling G. afer in habits and appearance. In the
Lydenburg district of the Transvaal the same gentleman says it is
plentiful in the spring and early autumn, when they congregate on
the blossoming trees and shrubs; they are also found in winter, but
not commonly.” We also believe that we have rightly identified
this species as occurring in Mr, Chapman’s collections from Lake
N’gami.
Head, back, breast, and throat, all shining, metallic green; rump
blue; wings and tail brown. To the green of the breast succeeds a
•narrow blue collar, followed by a red one, about half an inch broad,
not extending below the yellow side-tufts. Length, 4£"; wing,
2"; tail, 1 " 10'"; bill, 1 ” , curved.
Fig. Shelley, Monogr. Oinnyridce, pt. ii.
3 0 0 , C in n y e is am e th y s t in u s . Amethyst Sun-bird.
Nectarinia amethystina, Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 79.
An abundant species in the Eastern province, but never seen near
Cape Town, and not very uncommon in the forest districts of the
colony; we have also received it from the neighbourhood of