CINNYRIS CUPREUS. 37 



This is essentially a bird of the open country as is shown 

 by its geographical distribution. On the Gold Coast specimens 

 have been collected by Mr. Blissitt at Elmena, by Pel in 

 Ashantee, and by Ussher at the Volta river. During my visit 

 to this country with Mr. T. B. Buckley we frequently saw 

 these Sunbirds perched on the leaves of the cocoanut-trees by 

 the road-side near Cape Coast Castle. "We never met with 

 them in the forests of Abrobonko and Aguapim, but Drs. 

 Reichenow and Liihder procured a specimen at Abouri. We 

 found the species, however, very abundant, at the same season, 

 on the open plains of Accra which stretch from the base of the 

 Aguapim mountains to the sea. Here in March the males 

 had just attained their full plumage and were conspicuous 

 objects, as they perched on the topmost twigs of a bush 

 sparkling like jet ornaments, their rich metallic colouring 

 not being distinguishable unless the sun was at our backs, 

 when their bright fiery copper gloss at once flashed in the 

 light. In Togoland specimens have been procured by Dr. 

 Biittner in March, and by Mr. Baumann at Kratji in December, 

 and the latter naturalist also met with it at Topli in Dahomey 

 on August 3rd. In the Niger district the species inhabits 

 the country inland of the forest district of the delta ; here the 

 late Mr. W. B. Forbes collected specimens at Lokoja and 

 Shonga, at which latter station he died on January 14th, 1883. 

 Mr. Hartert took a nest of G. cupreus at Loko, it was sus- 

 pended from a bough not two feet from the ground, was 

 stronger built, and contained two eggs of a greenish grey 

 colour shaded and freckled with brown at the thick end. Dr. 

 Reichenow describes a nest he found in Camaroons as of the 

 usual oval form constructed of grass and fine roots, lined with 

 seed-down, and contained two glossy brown eggs. Mr. Zenker 

 has procured the species at Jaunde in Camaroons. 



It is evidently plentiful in Gaboon, for Du Chaillu 



