u 



98 CHALCOMITRA GUTTArALIS. 



than once he attacked a bee returning, and carried it off. 

 After we obtained the female the male bird became very shy, 

 only to appear now and again above the high trees in the 

 vicinity. The last locality where we found this bird in any 

 great numbers was some sixty miles below the mouth of the 

 Kafue river, which we reached on December 31. The land 

 was low-lying and covered with groves of tall acacia trees. 

 The birds were simply revelling amongst the freshly opened 

 blossoms. 



" About the middle of December, the commencement of the 

 rainy season in the Zambesi region, they begin to breed, and 

 by the time the young are hatched the store of insect and 

 flower life is abundant. At other times of the year partial 

 migrations of this species occur, the birds following in the 

 wake of rain clouds, and twice we observed after a local shower 

 the locality was invaded soon by companies of these Suubirds. 



"All the male specimens, six in number, we obtained at Chia 

 on July 31 were in full breeding dress. Further up the river, 

 at Acuaza, the bird was again common. At Zumbo on 

 November 10 and 13, and again on December 16, we collected 

 for the first time five immature males which had only assumed 

 the plumage of the adult as far as the chin, throat, foreneck 

 and chest. A few metallic green feathers on the forehead 

 were also visible. 



" On examining our series, and the dates on which the 

 specimens were obtained, it would appear that the full plumage 

 of the adult is not assumed till the second year." 



In North Zambesia the species is abundant ; Sir John Kirk 

 procured a specimen at Shupanga, and Mr. Alexander Whyte at 

 Zomba irj September and January, and on the Milanji plain in 

 October at an elevation of 4,000 feet. Captain Sperling found 

 these Sunbirds not at all rare at Mozambique and breeding 

 there. Specimens have been collected by Dr. F. Stuhlmann 



