NECTARINIA TACAZZE. 27 



Nectarinia jacksoni, Neumann, Orn. Monatsb. 1899, p. 24, Man, Kikuyu. 



Adult Male. Head, neck, back and lesser wing-coverts metallic lilac, 

 shaded with coppery bronze towards the head ; remainder of the plumage 

 black. Total length 8-5 inches, culmen 1-15, wing 3"1, tail 4, tarsus 0"75. 

 Facado, $ 8. 5. 68 (Jesse). 



Adult Female. Brownish olive, darker above than below ; sides of the 

 head dark brown with a broad eyebrow and sides of the throat whitish, tail 

 black edged and tipped with white. Total length 6 inches, culmen 1-1, 

 wing 2-75, tail 2-2, tarsus 075. Adigrat, ? 3. 4. 68 (Blanford). 



The Tacazze Sunbird ranges over Masailand, Uganda, 

 Shoa, and Abyssinia. 



Mr. Neumann records it from Masailand. Mr. Jackson 

 collected a fine series of this species, in full plumage, at Man 

 and Kikuyu in August, which Mr. Neumann has proposed to 

 separate from N. tacazze (Stanley) under the title of N. jacksoni. 

 The species has been met with further west, in Uganda, by 

 Piaggia, in what was in his time known as Mtesa's country. 



In Shoa the Tacazze Sunbird is apparently very common, 

 for Antinori and Ragazzi have collected in that country a 

 very fine series, which proves that the adult males only retain 

 their full breeding plumage from April to November, and that 

 the young males resemble the females in plumage. 



According to Von Heuglin the species is resident in East, 

 Central, and South Abyssinia, up to 13,000 feet in Semien and 

 Bergemeder, and is to be found in the highlands in preference 

 to the low country. It frequents wooded districts and lives 

 in pairs, selecting the most flowery situations, where they 

 conarresrate round the fresh blossoms. 



O O 



Mr. Blanford writes : " It was common about Senafe and 

 Adigrat, and was still abundant at 10,500 feet on the Wandaj 

 pass. The non-breeding plumage is dull ; it is only in the 

 breeding season that the males acquire their rich purple colour. 

 Iu May they were apparently breeding about Senafe." 



Jesse records the species from Rayrayguddy, Goongoona, 

 Facado and Senafe ; Riippell from the Taranta mountains ; 



