148 ANTHOTHREPTES AURANTIA. 



Adult Male. Upper surface as well as the sides of the head and the least 

 series of wing-coverts metallic green glossed with steel-blue, mostly so on 

 the neck, sides of the head, throat and upper tail-coverts ; wings and tail 

 dark brown, the latter washed with metallic violet, and the feathers edged 

 with metallic bluish green ; remainder of the under parts buffy white with 

 reddish orange pectoral-tufts. Total length 4-6 inches, culmen O'S, wing 

 2-65, tail 2-1, tarsus 0-7. Gaboon (Brit. Mus.). 



Adult Female. Above, similar to the adult male, but with the forehead 

 more golden and less blue shade on the back of the neck. Ear-coverts like 

 the crown, from which they are separated by a broad white eyebrow extend- 

 ing forward to the nostril ; cheeks and throat white ; the remainder of the 

 under surface of the body pale yellow. Total length 5 inches, culmen 0-65, 

 wing 2-4, tail 1-8, tarsus 07. Gaboon (Brit. Mus.). 



Immature. Above, brown, mottled on the hind neck, mantle and upper 

 tail-coverts with metallic golden green ; tail blackish glossed with greenish 

 blue ; a broad eyebrow and the cheek buffy white ; feathers in front of the 

 eye and the ear-coverts brown ; chin and throat white ; remainder of the 

 under surface whitish yellow. Total length 4-2 inches, culmen 0'65, 

 wing 2-4, tail 1-6, tarsus 065. Gaboon (Brit. Mus.). 



The Violet-tailed Sunbird is apparently confined to the 

 forest region of the Camaroons, Gaboon and Congo districts. 



In Camaroons, Crossley met with the species at the 

 Victoria Forest in January, and Mr. Sjostedt found a nest 

 toward the end of March with two eggs. It was at the edge 

 of a canal through a mangrove marsh, and was suspended 

 from a twig about five feet above the surface of the water. 



The type of the species came from Gaboon, where Du 

 Chaillu also collected specimens at the Camma and Ogowe 

 rivers, in which latter district Marche found it at Sile Lake 

 and Lambarene in December, and procured a young bird in 

 May at Lope. In the Congo district Bohndorff obtained 

 specimens at Manyango and Leopoldsville, and the late Mr. 

 Jameson found it at Yambuya on the Aruwhimi. 



By following an error I made in 1S79, an immature 

 specimen of A. fraseri from Fernando Po has been by accident 

 entered (in Cat. B. M. ix. p. 116) as belonging to this species, 

 which is not a native of Fernando Po. 



