152 



THE COLLARED SUN-BIRD. 



plumage, the general color being olive, with a slight murk of pale scarlet upon the back. The 

 crimson patch on the breast vanishes, and the tail-feathers are all of equal length. The female 

 is olive-green above and greenish-yellow below, and there is a slight mark of red upon tlie base 

 of the tail. 



THE COLLARED SUN-BIBD is an inhabitant of many parts of Africa, stretching from the 

 northern portions of that continent as far as the western coasts. It is extremely plentiful in 

 the larger forests of the Cape and the interior, but there is very little information . concerning 



COLLARED 



chalytea. 



its habits, saving that they resemble those of its relations. The nidification of this species 

 differs according to the locality, for it places its nest in the interior of hollow trees wherein it 

 resides in the forests, and is content with the shelter of a thick bough when there are no decay- 

 ing trees within reach. 



The male Collared Sun-bird is a most beautiful little creature, bedecked with glowing 

 tints of wonderful intensity. The general color of the upper parts of the body and breast is a 

 rich golden-green, the upper surface of the wings and tail being blackish-brown with green 

 reflections. Across the breast are drawn several colored bands, which have earned for the 

 bird its popular and expressive name, as all names should be. A narrow band of bright steel- 

 blue runs across the upper part of the breast, being rather wide in the centre and narrowing 

 rapidly towards the sides of the neck. Below this blue band runs a broad belt of rich car- 

 mine, and immediately below the carmine is a tlrird narrow band of bright golden-yellow. 

 From the sides of the breast proceed several small feathery plumes of the same golden hue. 

 The remainder of the abdomen is grayish-brown, and the upper tail-coverts are violet-purple. 



The female is rather less in dimensions than her mate, and is very sober in her attire, 

 wearing a suit of uniform olrve-brown, darker upon the wings and tail, and very pale behind. 

 The total length of this species is rather more than four and a half inches. 



