HEDYDIPNA. 15 



Hedydipna metallica. 



Hedydipna metallica (Licht.) Shelley, Mon. Nect. p. 3, pi. 2 (1878); 

 id. B. Afr. I. No. 5 (1896) ; Lort Phillips, Ibis, 1898, p. 404 Somali ; 

 Elliot, Field Columb. Mus. Orn. i. No. 2, p. 41 (1897) Somali. 



Nectarinia metallica, Heugl. Orn. N. 0. Afr. p. 224, pi. 43, fig. 3 (egg) ; 

 Oust, in Eevoil, Faun et Flor. Comalis Ois. p. 8 (1882) ; Gadow, 

 Cat. B. M. is. p. 8 (1884) ; Yerb'ury, Ibis, 1886, p. 15 ; 1896, p. 25 

 Aden; Barnes, Ibis, 1893, p. 73 Aden; Kuschal, J. f. 0. 1895, 

 p. 346 (egg). 



Adult Male. Head, neck, mantle and lesser wing-coverts deep metallic 

 green ; lower back, upper tail-coverts and a somewhat broad collar at the 

 base of the throat steel blue glossed with violet ; remainder of the wings 

 and the tail blackish, the feathers of the latter edged with violet-shaded 

 steel blue. Breast bright yellow. Total length 6-8 inches, culmen 0-4, 

 wing 2-2, tail 4-3, tarsus 0-6. Korosko, $ 10. 4. 70 (Shelley). 



Adult Female. Above ashy brown, with a broad buff eyebrow. Wings 

 and tail dark brown with pale edges to the feathers ; tail narrowly tipped 

 with white. Beneath white shaded with pale yellow on the centre of the 

 breast. Total length 3'7 inches, culmen 0-4, wing 2-1, tail 1-5, tarsus 0-6. 

 Korosko, $ 10. 4. 70 (Shelley). 



The Eastern Yellow-breasted Long-tailed Sunbird ranges 

 from tlie Nile and Kordofan into Southern Arabia, and north- 

 ward of the Equator to the First Cataract of the Nile. 



The occurrence of this species in Somaliland was first 

 recorded by Revoil. Mr. E. Lort Phillips writes : " This 

 little Sunbird was very plentiful on the foot-hills of the Goolis 

 and out on the Gooban towards the end of March. I think 

 it must have been migrating northwards, as I had never 

 previously noticed it in Somaliland." 



I do not find the species mentioned from Shoa, but it is 

 apparently plentiful near Aden in Southern Arabia, and 

 according to von Heuglin is a resident in Abyssinia, Takah, 

 Sennaar and Kordofan, where it meets with its near ally 

 H. platura, which otherwise appears entirely to replace this 

 species to the west of the Nile Valley. 



