ARACHNECHTH.lt A.. 



357 



Genus ARACHNECHTHRA, Cabanis, 1850. 



I retain the genus \Ara*necMhra for those Indian Sun-birds in 



which the tail in both sexes is short and rounded, the covering-mem- 

 brane of the nostril bare, and the bill slender and much curved 

 downwards. The type of the genus Cinnyris, in which genus these 

 Sun-fords have latterly been placed, is C. Iplendida from Africa, and 

 this species has the upper tail-coverts very ample, reaching quite to 

 the ( ip ot the tail I cannot therefore consider the Indian species, 

 which I retain m AradhnecMhra, at all congeneric with this African 



In the genus Arachnechthra the sexes are very different in colora- 

 tion, the males being clothed in metallic colours and the females 

 being greenish above and yellow beneath. The females of the 

 different species resemble each other very closelv and are difficult 

 to separate, except in the case of a few. 



Key to the Sjjecies. 



a. Chin and throat dark-coloured and 

 metallic. 

 a'. Lower plumage, below the breast, 

 dark-coloured. 

 a". Upper plumage uuiformly of one 

 colour. 



«'". Abdomen .snuff-brown A. lotenia <$ , p. 358 



6. Abdomen violet-black A. asiatica tf, p. 359. 



b . tpper plumage green, black, and 



. , r ljlue , A. hasselti S, p. 360. 



b . Lower plumage, below the breast, 

 yellow, 

 c". Back olive-yellow. 



c'". Forehead and anterior part of 



«„ ^ ow ? viole t-blue A. pectoralis <$ , p. 361. 



a . Jborekead and anterior part 

 of crown like back. 

 a\ Pectoral tufts yellow and 

 flame-colour ; bill from 



gape -8 A. flammaxillaris tf , p. 362. 



o\ Pectoral tufts entirely yel- 

 low ; bill from gape more 



,, _ , thau " 9 • A. andamanica tf , p. 363. 



a . J >ack crimson. 



e'". Upper tail-coverts metallic 



_,,. red A. minima <$ , p. 363. 



/ .Upper tail-coverts metallic 



. ,,. . , P™!* 1 * A. ztijhnic.a $ , p. 364. 



o. Unn and throat pale-coloured and non- 

 metallic, 

 c'. Entire lower plumage yellow. 

 e". Rump and upper tail-coverts of 

 the same colour as the back. 



