NECTARININ^. 363 



ear-coverts, back, scapulars, and lesser wing- coverts, dark sanguine- 

 ous ; rump bright yellow ; upper tail-coverts, dark green ; wings 

 and occiput dull brownish-green ; tail, with the central feathers, 

 purple at base (where hidden by the upper tail-coverts) and at the tip, 

 bottle-green in the middle ; the other tail-feathers dusky-black, 

 some of those next the central pair, scarlet ; throat, fore-neck, and 

 breast, entirely brilliant scarlet-carmine, with glossy violet stripe on 

 each side, from the corner of the lower mandible to more than half 

 way down the neck ; below the breast, dull light brownish-green. 



Bill horny, pale at the tip and beneath; legs brown; irides brown. 



The female is russet olive-brown above ; wings and tail darker ; 

 and pale olive beneath, flavescent on the lower abdomen and under 

 tail-coverts the central tail-feathers not being elongated. 



Length of male 6 inches ; extent 6^ ; wings 2f ; tail 3 ; bill at 

 front I ; tarsus -^ ; weight ^ oz. 



This beautiful Honey-sucker is found all along the Himalayan 

 range, and in Central India, as far south as N. L. 21°, if Tickell's bird 

 be identical with this species rather than the next ; also in Assam, 

 Sylhet, and the Burmese provinces. I believe that it does not ascend 

 the Himalayas to any great height, not above 2,000 or 2,500 feet. 



Colonel Tytler says that it is common not far from Dacca,* and 

 that he has kept them alive in a cage, feeding them on sugar and 

 water, honey, and bread and milk. 



226. .ffithopyga Vigorsii, Sykes. 



Cinnyris, apud Sykes, Cat. 134 — Cinnyris concolor, Sykrs 

 (the female) — Gould's Birds of Asia, pi. — N. Goalpariensis (in 

 part) Blyth. 



The Violet-eared Red Honey-sucker. 



Descr. — Head metallic green ; nape, neck above, shoulders ; and 

 scapulars, deep sanguineous ; lower part of back sulphur-yellow ; 

 upper tail-coverts, middle tail-feathers, and outer webs of all the 

 others (except the outermost pair), metallic green ; throat, neck, and 

 breast, scarlet ; a stripe, from the chin to the breast, shining violet; 

 car-spot also violet ; wings, lateral tail-feathers, sides of the loAver 

 part of the back, and a band below the breast, dusky ; abdomen grey. 



Probably biougbt from the Tiiipcrali hills. 



