188 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 



Habits. — In India this species goes about in little troops 

 of three or four and shifts its quarters a good deal. It is 

 found in gardens and low brushwood. On the Nilgiris it 

 breeds about September. The nest and eggs are small 

 editions of those of A. asiatica. Size of eggs about • 62 by * 42. 



Arachnechthra zeylonica. 



Purple-rumped Sunhird. 



Arachnechthra zeylonica (Oates, Vol. II., p. 364) ; Cinnyris 

 zeylonicus (Legge, p. 569). 



Description. — Male : Forehead, crown, and lesser wing 

 coverts metallic green shot in some lights with lilac ; hind- 

 neck, sides of neck, back, scapulars and median coverts, and 

 a band across the fore-neck dull, deep maroon ; rump and 

 upper tail coverts metallic purple ; greater wing coverts and 

 quills dark brown with rust-coloured edges ; tail dull black 

 faintly washed with purple, the outer feathers with traces 

 of a white tip ; sides of head copper-brown ; chin and throat 

 metallic purple ; breast, abdomen, and under tail coverts 

 bright yeUow ; flanks and wing-lining silky, grajnsh-white. 



Female : Upper plumage grayish-brown, the back tinged 

 with green ; upper tail coverts and tail black, the outer tail 

 feathers with traces of a whits tip ; wings brown, the quills 

 with rufous edges ; an indistinct whitish eyebrow ; sides of 

 head ash-gray ; cheeks, chin, and throat grayish-white ; rest of 

 lower parts yellow ; flanks and wing-lining silky, grayish -white. 



Bfll, legs, and feet black ; iris red. 



Length about 4-5; wing 2*1; tail 1-4; tarsus '6; bill 

 from gape * 6. 



Distribution. — Common aU over the Island, ascending 

 during the north-east monsoon to the highest elevations. 

 It is most abundant in the districts with a fairly heavy rain- 

 fall. In India it occurs over the peninsula proper and in 

 Bengal. 



Habits. — Familiar in town gardens, but it is also more 

 partial than the other species to heavy jungle and forest. 

 Like our other Sunbirds, it feeds on soft insects as well as on 

 nectar and pollen. The breeding season is mainly during the 



