35 



VERREAUX'S SUN-BIRD. 



Nectarinia Verroxii, SMITH. 



PLATE IX. 



THE Zoological Society of London have permitted 

 us to examine and describe both sexes of this spe- 

 cies, placed in its collection, we believe, by Dr. 

 Smith. The head, neck, shoulders and back, are of 

 a dark bluish green with metallic lustre, but both 

 in this and the preceding bird somewhat interrupted 

 from the dark base of the feathers appearing, the 

 fringe of the tips only being of the more brilliant 

 colour. The lower part of the back, rump, and 

 upper tail-covers, wings and tail, purplish brown, 

 darkest on the tail, which, excepting the slightly 

 shorter outside feathers, is square at the end. The 

 lower parts, in the specimen before us, were pale 

 hair-brown, slightly tinted with yellow on the chin 

 and vent ; Dr. Smith describes them as yellowish 

 grey, and his figure represents a very clear tint. 

 The axillary tufts are here of a brilliant scarlet, and 

 appear conspicuously. The female above is uni- 

 formly brocoli-brown, darker on the wings and tail ; 

 beneath of a paler tint of the same colour, tinged 

 with greenish yellow, and approaching to yellowish 

 grey on the vent and flanks. 



