156 BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
uncommon in the neighbourhood of Durban and Pinetown, at both 
of which places he shot specimens. Mr. Ayres also observes :— 
“These birds are more active than C. smaragdineus, not remaining 
so long in the same place; they also have the dipping flight of the 
Wagtails, but do not call so frequently, and their note is not so loud. 
They feed on caterpillars.” Only once did Mr. Andersson fall in 
with it, when he shot a single specimen on the Swakop River in 
Damara Land. Anchieta has procured it at Biballa in Mossamedes, 
and on the Cunene river. 
Adult male——Above metallic green, changing with the light to 
fiery bronze and golden green; the sides of the face and of the neck 
as well as the wings coloured like the back and subject to the same 
reflexions ; under surface of quills greyish brown, very numerously 
and distinctly notched on the inner web with white; four middle 
tail-feathers golden green, with a slight coppery reflexion, especially 
towards the tips, the other feathers white, with a spot of golden 
green near the tip of the outer web, and three or four of the same 
colour on the inner web ; under surface of body pure white, with a 
few broad longitudinal streaks of golden green on the upper thigh- 
feathers, the sides of the upper breast also bright golden-green, like 
the back ; “ bill dusky; legs pale ; feet brownish olive ; iris brown ; 
orbit very pale green” (Blanford). Total length, 7:0 inches ; culmen, 
0°7; wing, 4°1; tail, 3:2 ; tarsus, 0°55. 
Female.—Above brown, the head uniform ; interscapulary region 
barred with dull rufous ; rest of the upper surface barred with dull 
rufous and metallic green, broader and more distinct on the wing- 
coverts, narrower and less plain on the lower back, rump, and upper 
_ tail-coverts; quills brown, the secondaries coloured like the back, 
the primaries notched externally with pale rufous; under surface of 
quills ashy brown, deeply notched with pale rufous on the inner web ; 
tail brown, with a subterminal spot of coppery green on the centre 
feathers, the next one glossed with copper-colour and notched exter- — 
nally with pale rufous, the three outermost white, with a conspicuous , 
spot of coppery green near the tip, and more or less remains of - 
pale rufous notches and brown bars on the inner webs; ear-coverts — 
brown like the head ; rest of under surface dull white, with narrow 
brown cross lines, the sides of the upper breast uniform brown; — 
thighs barred with pale rufous and metallic green, like the back ; 
under wing-coverts pale rufous, with brown cross lines. 
Fig. Levaill, Ois. d@’Afr. v. pl. 218. 
