186 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 



Arachnechthra ASIATICA. 

 The Purple Sunbird. 



Arachnechthra asiatica (Oates,Vol. IL, p. 359) ; Cinnyris asiaticus 

 (Legge, p. 566). 



Description. — Male in full plumage : Upper parts, including 

 lesser wing coverts and sides of head and neck, metallic green 

 glossed with purple when viewed at certain angles ; greater 

 wing coverts and wings dull, dark brown very faintly washed 

 with purple ; tail black glossed with purple ; chin, throat, 

 and fore-neck dark metallic purple ; breast metallic greenish- 

 blue glossed with purple ; pectoral tuft yellow, at times 

 streaked with orange ; remainder of lower parts black, shot 

 with deep blue ; lower tail coverts more metallic and glossed 

 like the breast ; below the breast there is at times an incom- 

 plete dull maroon band. 



Female : Upper plumage pale olive-brown ; wing coverts 

 and quills darker and with pale edges ; tail blackish with 

 narrow whitish tips on the outer feathers ; an indistinct 

 whitish eyebrow ; lower plumage fairly bright yellow. 



Males after the autumn moult resemble females, except 

 for a broad stripe of purple down the fore -neck, while the 

 wing coverts, quills, and tail remain practically unchanged. 



Bill, legs, and feet black ; iris deep brown. 



Length 4*5 ; wing 2*25; tail 1-4; tarsus -55; bill from 

 gape '8. 



Distribution. — A little local, but found over the greater 

 part of the Island, at all elevations, where there is open 

 bush-covered country ; it is commonest in the drier districts. 

 It occurs all over India and most of Burma and ranges into 

 Persia on the north-west and Cochin-China on the east. 



Habits. — Very similar to those of Loten's Sunbird. Like 

 that species it feeds on spiders, &c., as well as on nectar. 

 The breeding season is during the first half of the year. The 

 nest is a beautiful, little pear-shaped structure hung from a 

 twig. The walls are inade of all sorts of little scraps of dry 

 grass, dead wood, &c., woven together with cobwebs. The 

 outside is ornamented with little bits of bark, dried flower 



