^ETHOPYGA. 35] 



of the head and neck, hind neck, back, scapulars, and lesser win ff - 

 coverts deep red, the concealed black bases of the feathers showing 

 up in places ; rump bright yellow, some of the feathers occasionally 



tipped crimson ; upper tail-coverts metallic green ; tail black 

 suffused with violet, the middle pair of feathers and the outer 

 margins of the others metallic green; median wing-coverts black 

 margined with crimson ; greater coverts, primary-coverts, winglet 

 and quills brown ; a long moustacbial streak and a patch behind the 

 ear-coverts metallic violet; chin, throat, and breast deep red finely 

 streaked with yellow; the red of the breast bounded by a black 

 band which extends more or less down the middle of the abdomen ■ 

 remainder of lower plumage ashy grey ; under wing-coverts and 

 a.xillanes white. 



Female. General colour dull green ; the feathers of the forehead 

 brown margined with green ; the lower plumage suffused with 

 ashy; the under tail-coverts broadly margined with ashv yellow 

 under wmg-coverts and axillaries pale yellowish. ' 



The young resemble the adult female and the youuo- male as- 

 sumes the adult plumage at the first spring by a moult 



Ins red-brown, crimson (FairbanJc) ; legs and bill dark brown or 

 blackish. 



Length nearly 6; tail 2-8; wing 2-5 ; tarsus -65; bill from gape 

 •Vo ; the female has the tail 1-7 and the wing 2-2. 



Distribution. The British Museum series of this Sun-bird contains 

 birds from \Y estern Khandesh, Matheran, Khandala, Mahablesh- 

 war, and the Malabar coast. This latter locality is very vague 

 Hume gives the range of this bird as extending from the valley of 

 the Tapti river to some distance south of Mahableshwar aW the 

 line of ghats. Jerdon observed this species in the Eastar country 

 south-east of Nagpore, but this locality requires confirmation. 



Ilabits, 6,-c. The accounts of the nidification of this bird are very 

 incomplete. It breeds in June and in September, and the nest 

 appears to resemble that of M seherice. An egg is described as 

 being white, very thickly freckled with yellowish brown and 

 measuring -63 by '48. 



887. -ffithopyga ignicauda. The Fire-tailed Yellow-backed Hun- 

 bird. 



Cinnyris ignicaudus, Sodgs. Ind. Rev. ii, p. 273 (1837) 



Is ectarima ignicauda (Hod</s.), Blyth, Cat. p. 223 



^opygaigmcauda(a- ^ f 4j2b rs/< § M _ C at.\\, p. 734; Jerd, 

 B 1. i, p. 365; \\ aid Ibis, 1870, p. 36 ; Blanford, J. A. 8. B. xli, 

 pt n, p. 44 ; Godio.-Aust J A. S. B. xliii, pt. ii, p. 156 ; Shelley, 

 MonNect. pp. xx, 45, pi. 15; Hume, Cat. no. 228; Gadow, Cat. 



J-)* iu, IX. p. A*)* 



The Fire-tailed Bed Honey-sucker, Jerd. 



Coloration. Male. Forehead and crown metallic blue ; sides of the 

 crown, nape, hind neck, sides of the neck, back, scapulars, upper 



