62 NECTAKHfllDiE. 



III. THIRD GEOUP {NectaropUla). 



Whole crown and napo, fore neck and lower back, npper tail- 

 coverts and ulnar coverts metallic ; no pectoral tufts ; uares beset 

 with short feathers. With the exception of C. minhna (?), the species 

 of this group have no special winter ])lumage. — Indo-Malayan. 



19. Cinnyris minima. 



Cinnyris minima, Si/kes, P. Z. S. 18;J2, p. 99 ; Si/kes, J. A. S. B. 

 iii.'p. 543 (1834) ; Jerdon, Madras Jouni. xi. p. 226, no. 23o (1840); 

 Bp. C. A. i. p. 409, no. 47 (1850); Legye, B. CeyJon, p. 572 (1879) ; 

 Shelley, Monoyr. Nect. p. l43, pi. 46. 



Nectariuia minima, Tickell, J. A. S. B. ii. p. 277, no. 38 (1888) ; 

 Bli/th, op. cit. xii. p. 978 (1843) ; Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 98 (1847) ; 

 Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. As. Soc. p. 226, no. 1369 (1849) ; Layard, 

 Ann. Nat. Hist. 2nd ser. xii. p. 175, no. 60 (1853) ; Hartl. J.f. O. 

 1854, p. 165. 



Ai-achnothera minima, Gi-ay, Hand-l. B. i. p. 112, no. 1395 (1869). 



Nectariuia minuta, Jard. Monoyr. Sim-birds, pp. 224, 265, fig. title- 

 page (1843, lapsu cal.); Kelaart, Prodrom. Cat. p. 119 (1852). 



Nectai'ophila minima, Beichb. Handb. Scansories, p. 282, no. 654, 

 pi. 568. figs. 3873-74 (1854) ; Walden, Ibis, 1870, p. 40. 



Leptocoma minima, Horsf. Sj- Moore, Cat. B. 3Ius. E.I. Co. ii. 

 p. 742, no. 1869 (1856) ; Jerd. B. Lid. i. p. 369 (1862) ; Hume, 

 Str. F. 1877, p. 42 ; id. Nests ^- Eyys Ind. B. i. p. 150 (1873) ; 

 Fairbank, Str. F. iv. p. 392 (1876). 



Adult male (type of species). Entire crown metallic green ; throat 

 metallic violet; ear-coverts and loral region black ; hind neck and 

 sides of neck, and a broad coUar across the fore neck and chest, 

 back and wing-coverts rich blood-red ; rump and upper tail-coverts 

 showing a strong metaUic violet gloss in position B, whilst they 

 look non-metallic blood-red in positions A and C. Pectoral tufts, 

 although pale lemon-yellow, well distinguishable from the breast, 

 which, like the rest of the underparts, is white, washed with pale 

 yellow. Culmen 0-58 inch, wing 1*9, tail 1*2, tarsus 0'52. 



Males in winter plumage resemble the female, but " retain invari- 

 ably the amethystine rump and usually a little red about the shoulder 

 of the wing " {Hume). 



Female. Upper parts olive-brown ; tail blackish brown, the outer 

 edges of the feathers washed with reddish olive ; rump and upper 

 tail- coverts dusky red ; underparts pale yellowish buff. Wing 

 1-8-1-95 inch. {Hume.) 



Hah. South-western India and Ceylon. 



a, &. J imm. sk. Deccan (iSyA-es). India Museum. 



(moulting). 



c. <S ad. sk. Deccan {Sykes). India Museum [P.]. 



(Type of species.) 



(/. c? ad. sk. Coonoor, Nilgherries, W. Davison, Esq. [P.], 



Oct. 7, 1881. 



e. 6 ad. sk. Coonoor, Feb. 7, 1883. W. Davison, Esq. [P.]. 



