46 CINNYRIS HABESSINICUS. 



commonest Sunbird at Cape Coast Castle, Accra, and in the 

 Aguapim Mountains. 



There are specimens in the British Museum from Elmina, 

 Ashantee, and Volta river. Dr. Buttner procured specimens 

 in Togoland ; Robins at Abeokuta; Forbes at Lokoja and 

 Shonga, on the Niger, and Mr. Hartert found it common near 

 Loko, and observes that it has a very fine song. 



I find no record of the occurrence of this species in 

 Camaroons, and according to Dohrn it has never been pro- 

 cured on Princes Island. It however occurs, though apparently 

 in no great numbers, in Gaboon, where it has been met with by 

 both Du Chaillu and Marche, and at present the Ogowe river 

 is the furthest known southern limit for the range of this 

 Sunbird, for Prof. Barboza du Bocage informs us, that a 

 specimen he once believed to have come from Loanda, is really 

 from a doubtful locality. 



Of the eastern range of this species, all that I know is that 

 Bohndorff collected several specimens at Semmio in the Nyam- 

 nyam country, all in full plumage in February, and that the 

 species has not been recorded in any of the large collections 

 made by Bmin Pasha. 



Apparently the full breeding plumage lasts from February 

 to August. 



Cinnyris habessinicus. 



Cinnyris habessinicus (Hempr. & Ehr.) Shelley, Mon. Nect. p. 205, pi. 63 

 (1878) ; Gadow, Cat. B. M. ix. p. 52 (1884) ; Salvad. Ann. Mus. 

 Genov. 1884, p. 139, 1888, pp. 245, 533 Shoa ; Shelley, Ibis, 1885, 

 p. 406 Somali; Salvad. E. Acad. S. Torino, 1894, p. 556 Somali; 

 Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1895, p. 474 Somali ; Shelley, B. Afr. I. No. 23 

 (1896) ; Cholmley, Ibis, 1897, pp. 200, 206 Bed Sea ; Lort Phillips, 

 Ibis, 1896, p. 81 ; 1898, p. 402, 403 fig. Somali ; Hawker, Ibis, 

 1899, p. 67 Somali. 



Adult Male. Similar to C. splendidus ; but differs in the head and neck 

 being metallic green with only tbe forehead and crown metallic violet. 



