( 240 ) 



the aberrant colour of tbis new species, it inhabits the most eastern locality of any 

 Anthreptes hitherto known. 



Adult. — Head and neck alwve grey, nearest to "olive-grey " (Hidgw., Noviencl.Col. 

 pi. ii. fig. 14). Ear-coverts paler, small spot in front of the eye greyish white. Lesser 

 wing-coverts grey. Back, rump, and upper tail-coverts green, slightly washed with 

 grey. Primaries deep brown, outer webs narrowly margined with olive-grey. 

 Secondaries and rectrices deep brown, outer webs margined with green. Throat, 

 breast, and middle of abdomen greyish white; sides of body pale sulphur-yellow; 

 pectoral tufts sulphm-yellow. Under wing-coverts white, washed with yellow. Iris 

 deep brown ; legs blackish ; bill black ; base of mandible whitish. 

 Jleasurements : see above. 



Evidently not rare on Fergusson Island, from where a small but fine series was sent. 

 Nests were found in September and December. The nest is a characteristic 

 sunbird's nest, being constructed of gjass and other fine dry materials. The entrance, 

 at the side, is overhung by a small porch. It is firmly attached to a branch, from 

 which it suspeuds. The two eggs resemble those of other sunbirds, being of a 

 brownish creamy ground-colour, covered all over with a dark brown, like chocolate 

 with milk, and a few deeper brown, almost black, lines and dots. They mea.sure 

 18 : 12-3 and 17-3 : 12-3 mm. E. H. 



19. Cinnyris christianae Tristr. 



Fergusson and Kiriwina Islands. 



This species has been described from St. Aignan's Island by Canon Tristram in 

 the Ibis, 1889, p. 555. The description suits our specimens very well, except that I 

 cannot find that the bill is so remarkably larger than that of other allied species. The 

 type, now in the Liverpool Museum, has most kindly been sent me by the Director, 

 Mr. Forbes, for comparison. It agrees entirely with our specimens, except that the 

 wing is slightly longer. It measures 66 mm. in the type, while it measures 63 — Go 

 in eight males from Fergusson Island before me. That, of course, cannot be 

 considered an important difierence, nor can any weight be attached to a slightly 

 more greenish tint of the upper wing-coverts in the Fergusson niaks. The female 

 and the young male, of which there are skins from Fergusson and Kiriwina, have the 

 head above and nape deep grey with pale grey edges to the feathers, so that they look 

 somewhat scaly, the rest of the upper parts dull yellowish green, throat and upper 

 breast pale ashy grey, abdomen pale yellow, under wing-coverts white with a yellow 

 wash. Wing 57 — 60 ; culm. 23. Culmen of males 23 — 25 mm. Iris deep brown. 



Nests were found on Fergusson and Kiriwina fiom Octoli<'v to March. The nests 

 resemble those of other sunbirds. 



The eggs, two or three in number, are of a brownish white ground-colour, which 

 is more or less covered with spots and patches of chocolate-colour or a similar brown 

 colour. Some are entirely and equally covered with the dark colour, so that scarcely 

 anything is visible of the ground-colour, but most of them have a more or less well- 

 defined ring near the broader end, and the smaller end is often very pale, showing 

 much of the ground-colom-, which in some is rather whitish. The ineasm'ements are 

 20 : 13, 17-9 : 13, 17-8 : 12-3, 18-3 : 12-1, 178 : 12, and so on. K. II. 



20. Cinnyris frenata (Mull). 

 Fergusson Island. 



