CTKNYRIS ALDABRENSIS. 71 



Adult Male. — " Similar to C. souimanga, but pectoral-band much broader 

 and bright maroon bay instead of chestnut ; sooty breast-patch much more 

 extensive, reaching, medially, to middle of belly; sides and flanks light 

 yellowish grey, the lower belly very pale sulphur yellow (whole belly canary 

 yellow in C. souimanga). Total length 4-36 inches, exposed culmen 0-70, 

 wing 2-10, tail 1-50, tarsus 065 " (Eidgway). " Bill and feet black " 

 (Abbott). 



Adult Female. — " Much greyer above and darker below, anteriorly, than 

 that of C. souimanga " (Eidgway). 



The Aldabra Sunbird is confined to the island of Aldabra, 

 which is situated in the Indian Ocean 9° 30' S. lat., 36° 30' E. 

 long. 



The species was discovered by Dr. W. L. Abbott, and is 

 known to me only by Mr. Ridgway's description, and the 

 following notes by Dr. Abbott : " This, the commonest bird in 

 Aldabra, is found in all localities. Like all other birds of the 

 islands, it is extremely tame and unsuspicious, even alighting 

 on one's arm. It breeds from September to January, possibly 

 longer and at other seasons. More than one brood is raised, 

 but I do not know how many. The female alone performs the 

 labour of nest building and incubation ; the males, however, 

 assist in feeding the young. The nest is suspended from a 

 branch of a mangrove or of a ' buluchi ' bush near the shore ; 

 a favourite situation being to fasten it to a stalk of grass or 

 euphorbia hanging in one of the great pits or chasms so 

 numerous in the coral rock of Aldabra. The nest is neatly 

 constructed of fibres of bark, generally mangrove. The female 

 selects a suitable hanging leaf or branch and attaches some 

 fibres of bark firmly to it; other fibres are then attached to 

 this until an oval mass is formed ; this is then opened out by 

 the bird entering her head and then her body into the mass. 

 More material is now added to the outside, the bird occasion- 

 ally entering the cavity and enlarging it by kicking and 

 fluttering ; finally the inside is lined with feathers. The 



