The chin and throat are much whiter than the rest of the underparts;
the wing-coverts, and especially the secondaries, edged
with pale chestnut.
Fig. Dresser, B. Eur. ii, pi. 57.
Page 306. N e c t a r in i a fam o s a.
Very abundant in the Newcastle d is tric t: wintering in the Drakensberg
kloofs ; Ladysmith, A u g u st; common a t Richmond Road in
December (IS., F., and It.).
Page 308. In se rt:—N e c t a r in i a b o c ag ii, Shelley. Bocage’s Sun-bird.
Senor Anchieta discovered this species near Caconda in Benguela,
where it is rare.
I t is of the same form and about the same size as N. famosa, but of
quite a different colour, being in fact a southern form of N. tacazze
of Abyssinia.
General colour coppery or violet bronze; abdomen black ; upper parts
and throat shaded with bluish-green. Total length, 8'1 inches ;
culmen, 0'9 ; wing, 3'05 ; tail, 4 '2 ; tarsus, O'7 (Shelley).
Fig. Shelley, Monogr. Nect. pi. 6, fig. 2.
Page 310. In s e r t:—C i n n t r i s o liv a c in u s .
Described by the late Prof. Peters from Inhambane; it is said to be
similar to G. olivaceus, but smaller.
Page 311. C i n n t r i s g u t t u r a l i s .
Maritzburg : not uncommon in the hot months (B., F. and B.).
Pantamatenka River (Holub).
Page 313. C i n n t r i s a f e r .
Common in the Rustenberg district (Ayres).
Kloofs of the Drakensberg, wintering there in May and June : breeding
in August (B., F., and B.).
Page 313. In s e r t:—C i n n t r i s lu d o y ic e n s is .
Sent from Biballa : native names Kanjoi and Kinbinja (Anchieta).
Captain Shelley unites this species with G. afer, but it seems to us not
unlikely to be identical with the recently described 0. erikssoni, of
Trimen.
The latter species has been discovered in Damara Land by Mr. Axel
Eriksson, for many years the companion of the late Mr. Andersson.
I t has been named after the discoverer by Mr. Roland Trimen, who
writes : “ This Sun-bird belongs to Shelley’s f pale metallic group’
of the genus Cinnyris, and is in colouring almost identical with
G. afer (L.), but differs strikingly in size, being not larger than
0. chalybeus (L.), and in the shortness of its beak. In the male
the metallic green is perhaps rather more smooth and brilliant
than in G. afer, and the scarlet of the breast somewhat lig h te r;
but it is in the width of the la tte r th a t the bird differs most, the
specimens in finest plumage having the belt an inch broad,
which is actually wider than the same marking in the much
larger G. afer. I t is further remarkable th a t the wings are as
long as in 0. afer, viz. 2 in. 6 lin., while in G. chalybeus they
measure only 2 in. 3 lin. The bill, however, is 1 line shorter than
in 0. chalybeus (culmen 9 lin.) and 5 lines shorter than in 0. afer
(12J to 13 lin.).
“ G. erikssoni cannot be confounded with G. chalybeus, the latter
having such a very narrow scarlet breast-belt; but it is more like
G. chloropyyius (Jard.), a native of all the tropical West-African
coast from Senegal to Angola. This last-named bird, however, is
much smaller (total length 3 in. 7 lin.), and wants both the
blue upper tail-coverts and blue pectoral collar presented by
G. erikssoni.”
Fig. Trimen, P.Z.S. 1882, pi. 32.
Page 314. C i n n t r i s c h a l t b e u s .
Sent from Caconda by Senor Anchieta.
Prof. Bocage has described a new species, G. intermedius, similar to
G. chalybeus, but with the upper tail-coverts golden-green instead
of steel-blue; the abdomen is paler and more ashy brown, inclining
to yellowish-white on the vent and under tail-coverts. Captain
- Shelley, who has examined the type of the above species, considers
it to be the same as G. chalybeus.
Rustenberg, May; Umvuli River, September (Ayres).
Very common in the Drakensberg, near Newcastle, in midwinter ; also
breeds (B., F., and B.).
Page 316. C i n n t r i s am e th ts tin o s .
. We should not be surprised if the two specimens from Caconda
recorded by Senor Anchieta turned out to be G. kirkii, as Prof.
Barboza du Bocage speaks of the back and rump being of a violet
colour with reflections, but does not speak of the metallic upper
tail-coverts.
Not uncommon from Durban to Ladysmith, but not seen beyond (B.,
F., and B.).
Page 317. C i n n t r i s k i r k i .
Dr. Gadow has united this species to G. amethystinus, but, in our
opinion, wrongly: and we agree with Captain Shelley th a t it is a
distinct species. The origin of the mistake is no doubt the