A.BACHNECHTHBA. 359 



aud an egg. The latter is described as being dirty brownish white 

 covered with dull brown marks. 



895. Arachnechthra asiatica. The Purple Sun-bird. 



Certhia asiatica, Lath. Lid. Om. i, p. 288 (1790). 

 Nectarinia asiatica {Lath.), Blyth, Cat. pp. 224, 328. 

 Arachnechthra asiatica {Lath.), Horsf. § M. Cat. ii, p. 743 ; Jerd. 



B I. i, p. 370 ; Hume, N. # E. p. 151 ; Wald. Ibis, 1870, p. 20 ; 



Hume 8f Lav. S. F. vi, p. 190 ; Oates in Hume's N. & E. 2nd ed. 



n, p. 252. 

 Arachnechthra intermedia, Hume, Ibis, 1870, p. 430 ; id. N. $ E. 



I). lO*. 



Nectarinia (Arachnechthra) brevirostris, Blanford, Ibis, 1873, p. 86. 

 Arachnechthra edeni, Anderson, Yunnan Exped.. Aves, p. 601, 



pi. xlix (1878). 2 ' ' F ' 



Cinnyris asiaticus (Lath,), Shelley, Mon. Nect. pp. xxviii, xxxvi, 181, 



pi. 57 ; Hume, Cat. no. 234 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 566; Gadoiv, Cat. 



B. M. ix, p. 56 ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 259 ; Oates, B. B. i, p. 321 ; 



Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 137. 



The Purple Honey-sucker, Jerd.; Shakar Mora, Hind.; Jugi jugi, 

 lihagalpur ; Than kudi, Tain ; Gewdl kurulla, Cing. 



Fig. 99.— Head of A. asiatica. 



Coloration. Male. The whole upper plumage, sides of the head 

 and neck, and the lesser and median wing-coverts metallic violet- 

 blue or greenish ; greater coverts and all the quills brown, edged 

 paler ; tail bluish black ; chin, throat, and fore neck metallic violet ; 

 breast like the sides of the neck ; a narrow band below the breast 

 coppery brown, of varying extent, sometimes absent ; the large 

 pectoral tufts mixed orange-red and bright yellow ; abdomen, vent, 

 and under tail-coverts violet-black. 



Female. Upper plumage, wings, and sides of the head and neck 

 greenish brown ; lower plumage rather bright yellow ; tail dark 

 brown or blackish, the laterals narrowly tipped with white. 



Young males have generally a broad stripe from the chin to the 

 abdomen dark metallic violet ; the remainder of the lower plumage 

 yellow. 



Bill black ; iris hazel-brown ; eyelids plumbeous ; legs black ; 

 claws dark horn. 



Length 4-5; tail 1-5; wing 2-1 ; tarsus -6; bill from gape -8. 



Birds from Burma are remarkable for the rich tone of their 

 coloration, the prevailing tint beiug rich violet. In India, especi- 

 ally in the dry north-western portions, the prevailing tint is rather 

 green. Intermediate birds are also found ; and this variation of 

 colour, coupled with a bill which also varies remarkably in length 



