NESTING IN WESTERN INDIA. 85 



234. -THE PURPLE HONEYSUCKEll. 



Cinnyris asiatica, Lin. 



This Honeysuker is generally distributed throughout Western 

 Iradia, but is much more common in the North, where, indeed, it is 

 the only representative of the genus. They commence to breed 

 early in March, and nests maj'be found quite up to the beginning of 

 the rains. The nest is pendant, shaped something like a florence 

 flask, or oval with a taperiog neck. This is suspended from the tip 

 of a slender branch or twig. All sorts of materials are made use of 

 in constructing the nest : fibres, cobwebs, hair, fine grass, bits of 

 straw, lichens, dead leaves, dried flower petals, pieces of rags, &c, 

 are all used, and are neatly and compactly woven together. It is 

 well lined with soft vegetable down. The nest at a short distance 

 resembles one of the bunches of cobwebs, so commonly met with 

 on trees and bushes. 



The entrance, which is on one side, about half way up, is shaded 

 by a canopy, beautifully adapted to keep out the rain. It is worthy 

 of notice that in Sind, where the rainfall is scanty, this canopy is 

 altogether absent, or only just indicated. The eggs, two or three 

 in number, are dingy little ovals ; the ground colour is greenish or 

 greyish white, usually almost obscured by greyish-brown or greyish- 

 purple ill-defined markings. 



They average 0*64 inches in length by about 0*46 in breadth. 



The nests are too common to need detailed dates. 



The nest is occasionally found in the centre of a large dusty cob- 

 web ; and would escape detection, were it not for the fussy habits of 

 the parent birds. 



235.— THE LARGE PURPLE HONEYSUCKER. 



Cinnyris lo tenia, Jerd. 



Within our limits this is the least common of all our Honey- 

 suckers. It appears to be restricted to the Ghats and adjacent 

 forests ; it also occurs sparingly in the neighbourhood of Bombay, 

 where Mr. E. H. Aitken found it breeding in his garden in Novem- 

 ber. Of this an account was given at p. 52, No. 1, Vol. II., of the 

 B. N. H. S. Journal. He describes the nest as very similar to that 

 of Cinnyris zeylonica, but much longer, measuring quite ten inches. 

 Unfortunatly he delayed taking the nest, which, on examination, 

 was found to contain one young one and a much incubated egg. 



