314 BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
the flowering-season.” The non-appearance of this bird in Damara 
Land is curious, as Professor Barboza de Bocage records a specimen 
from Biballa in Benguela where it was obtained by Senor Anchieta, 
who states that its native name is “ Kanjoi.” 
Head, back, and breast metallic-green, blue, and bronze-shot ; 
rump blue; wings and tail brown ; below the green of the breast is 
a narrow blue collar, succeeded by a broad red one, whieh extends 
nearly all over the stomach; vent brown; bright yellow tufts on - 
each side. Length, 53’’ ; wing, 23’’ nearly ; tail, 2’’ 3’"’ ; bill, 1}’’ 
curved, 
Fig. Shelley, Monogr. Cinnyride, part ii. 
299. CINNYRIS CHALYBEUS. Lesser Double-collared Sun-bird. 
Nectarinia chalybea, Layard, B. 8. Afr. p. 75. 
This species is very similar to C. afer, but is smaller, and has the 
scarlet breast band less extended and rather darker in colour. This 
is a very common species about Cape Town, and as far as Swellen- 
dam: there it becomes mixed with the greater double-collared 
species, O. afer, which partially onsts it in the George and Knysna 
districts, and throughout the Hastern Province, and supplies its place. 
It is one of the boldest and most familiar of our sun-birds, fre- 
quenting the flower-gardens in the midst of Cape Town, and even 
venturing into open windows to visit potted plants. 
Nests, reported to be of this species, have been brought to us— 
pendant, domed, and porticoed structures, like those of others of the 
family that we have seen. Eggs, two, minutely mottled grey-brown: 
axis, 8’; diam. 5}”. We can confirm the statements of our 
correspondents, having ourselves taken nests of this species con- 
taining eggs and young birds. They breed in September. The 
nests are not, however, always pendant, being sometimes supported 
by twigs interwoven with their structure. They are usually com- 
posed of cobweb, stuck over with bits of dead leaves, or chips 
of thin bark, always placed on the outside of a bush, never among 
the branches. We have, however, seen one placed on the side of a 
bush close to a rock, so that the bird had to fly round the bush to 
get at it. In appearance they exactly resemble the masses made 
and collected by one of our commonest spiders; and we have more 
than once seen an inhabited spider’s-web forming part and parcel of 
the nest. Whether the nest was built in the web, or whether the 
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