179 



LITTLE BLUE-BANDED SUN-BIRD. 



Nectarwia collarit, VIEILLOT. 



PLATE VI. 



THIS pretty little Sun-bird was met with by Le 

 Vaillant in the vicinity of the Gamtoos, in troops of 

 eight or nine birds, the amount of the broods. "We 

 have only received the males in miscellaneous col- 

 lections from Southern Africa, where, by some of 

 our correspondents, it is said to be rare ; but a spe- 

 cimen of the female has been put in our possession 

 by Dr. A. Smith, procured at the Cape, and agree- 

 ing with the description of authors. In extreme 

 length it is about four inches, some specimens 

 slightly exceeding, while others do not reach it. 

 The bill, to the forehead, is half an inch, becoming 

 very slender towards the tip ; the upper parts, edges 

 of the wing-coverts, and secondaries, a bright yel- 

 lowish green, changing with every position; the 

 wings umber-brown, edged with oil-green; the 

 chin, throat, and upper parts of the breast similar, 

 but deeper in tint, shading into and terminating in 

 a narrow band of rich blue, glossed with violet; 

 the remaining under parts are of a dull yellow, and 

 in the axillae there are tufts of pale primrose-yel- 

 low. The tail, slightly rounded, is black glossed 



