116 EL^EOCERTHIA VERREAUXI. 



at other times of the year, when it resembles the female, 

 whose colouring is of the most sombre description." He 

 always found the nest suspended from the branch of some 

 low acacia tree, and composed of soft grasses and the fine 

 inner bark of trees and lined with a quantity of feathers, and 

 he saw some young birds, just fledged, on April 3. The 

 British Museum possesses a specimen labelled " Elephant river, 

 Little Namaqualand (Andersson)." 



The late Dr. Bradshaw found these Sunbirds very common 

 at the Orange river, and Mr. Atmore procured specimens 

 near Hopetown. 



Mr. Layard informs us that, " Mr. Ortlopp found the 

 species incubating near Colesberg in the usual domed nest 

 suspended from a tree ; it was composed of wool and fibres, 

 lined with feathers and goats' hair. The eggs were of the 

 abnormal number of three, white, spotted with intensely dark 

 purplish brown and pale purple, chiefly forming a close-set 

 ring near the obtuse end." Axis 055 inch by - 35. 



Prof. Barboza du Bocage enters this species in his " Orn. 

 Angola " on the authority of Dr. Hartlaub that there is a 

 specimen in the Paris Museum, labelled Angola, but remarks 

 that the species has never been met with by Anchieta to the 

 north of the Cunene river. 



From the series of specimens in the British Museum it 

 would appear that the males assume their breeding plumage 

 in November and discard it again in the following June for 

 a plumage similar to that of the female. 



Elseocerthia verreauxi. 



Elajocerthia verreauxi (Smith), Shelley, B. Afr. I. No. 59 (1896). 

 Cinnyris verreauxi, Shelley, Mon. Neet. p. 287, pi. 90 (1876) ; Butler, 



Feilden and Beid, Zool. 1882, p. 247 Natal; Gadow, Cat. B.M. 



ix. p. 74 (1884) : Shelley, Ibis, 1888, p. 300 Manda Is. ; Evans, 



Nature, li. p. 235 ; id. Ibis, 1895, p. 301 Natal ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1897, 



p. 506 Zulu. 



