216 



SCARLET-BELLIED SUN-BIRD. 



Nectarinia affinis, SHAW. 

 PLATE XX 



THE specimen from which the drawing of our plate 

 was made agrees with the figure and description of 

 the bird represented by Temminck as the " Soui- 

 manga a venire ecerlate? with the " Souimanga a 

 gorge violette" of the Ois. dor., and with Dr. La- 

 tham's C. sperata, var. B. ; but it differs from the 

 " Certhia philippensis purpurea" of Brisson, from 

 which all the descriptions of the Certhia sperata, 

 Linnaeus, are taken, in the green colour of the 

 coronal patch and lower back, with the upper tail- 

 covers; by Brisson, these parts are said to be 

 violet. Brisson's bird was from the Philippine 

 Islands, and so also is Temminck's specimen ; and 

 it may remain a question whether there is some 

 mistake in the description of Brisson, handed down 

 through a variety of volumes, or that there are two 

 distinct and closely allied birds, the one with the 

 coronal patch and tail-coverts violet, as in Brisson's 

 bird, or with these parts green, as in Sonnerat and 

 Temminck's specimens. 



This very beautiful species has the whole crown, 

 running to the hind-head, green, with golden reflec- 



