124 CYANOMITRA OLIVACEA. 



Cinnyris olivacina (Peters), Gadow. Cat. B. M. ix. p. 78 (1884). 



Adult Male. Above, deep olive. Beneath, pale yellowish olive, with 

 bright yellow pectoral-tufts. Total length 5'5 inches, culmen 1-1, wing 2'7, 

 tail 2-5, tarsus 0-65. Pinetown, 19. 3. 74 (Shelley). 



Adult Female. Like the male. Durban, 9. 4. 74 (Shelley). 



The Dark Olive Sunbircl ranges over Eastern Africa from 

 Natal to Zanzibar and westward to the Lualaba branch of the 

 Congo river. 



Sir Andrew Smith procured the type of the species in 

 the same country in which he discovered E. verreauxi, on 

 his way to Port Natal. Iu February and March I found 

 these birds much rarer at Durban than some twelve miles 

 further inland, at Pinetown, where they were generally in 

 pairs frequenting the taller trees along the banks of the water- 

 courses in preference to the low tangled brushwood. Out of 

 the many specimens I carefully sexed I can detect no differ- 

 ence whatever in the plumage. 



From Natal Mr. T. Ayres writes : " These birds are common 

 on the coast for some distance inland ; they are particularly 

 fond of shady banana groves, taking the nectar from the long 

 drooping flowers of the plant, and chasing one another about 

 with great pertinacity. The plumage of the females is not so 

 bright as that of the males." Captain Reid procured the 

 species at Durban in August, and according to Captain 

 Harford it breeds there in November. Mr. Layard describes 

 the eggs as being " light brown, so profusely mottled with 

 purplish brown as almost to conceal the ground-colour." 

 Messrs. R. B. and J. D. S. Woodward collected several 

 specimens at Eschowe and Santa Lucia Lake in Zululand. 

 The type of Nectarinia olivacina, Peters, from Inhambane 

 was a rather small specimen of C. olivacea. This ends all 

 I know regarding the species in South Zambesia. 



To the north of the Zambesi, between that river and Lake 

 Nyasa, Mr. Alexander Whyte collected two specimens on 



