/ETHOPYGA. 225 



729. 2Ethopyga nipalensis (Hodg$.\ Cab. Mm. Hein. i. p. 103 



; Jerd. B. Jnd. i. p. 366, No. 229; id. Ibis, 1873, p. 17; Walden, Ibis, 

 I 87o, p. 35 ; Hume, Nests and Eggs, Ind. B, p. 147; Gadow, Cat. B. Bf. 

 Mus. ix. p. 26. Cinnyris nipalensis, Hodgs., Ind.Rev. ii. p. 273. Nectarinia 

 nipalensis, Jard., Monogr. Sun-birds, pp. 236-238, pi. 27 ; Blyth, J.A. S. B. 

 xii. p. 974 ; Gould, B. Asia, pi. 27. Nectarinia Horsfieldi, Blyth, J. A. S. B. 

 xii. p. 975 ; xvi. p. 472. ^thopyga Horsfieldi, Reichb^ ffandbk. Scansdrice, 

 P- 304 ; Jerd., B. Ind. i. p. 37, No. 230 ; Wold., Ibis, 1870, p. 36 ; Shelley, 

 Monogr. B. Ind. p. 33, pi. 16, fig. 2. The MAROON-BACKED HONEYSUCKER. 



PLATE. 



Head, nape, and hindneck, also the upper half of throat, the upper tail 

 coverts, two lengthened central tail feathers, and the outer margins of the 

 others brilliantly glossy dark steel green ; outer pairs of feathers with pale 

 tips ; lores and ear coverts black, the latter glossed with purple ; sides of the 

 neck and mantle dark glossless maroon-red ; wing coverts, outer webs of the 

 quills and centre of back olive yellowish ; lower back and rump bright yellow ; 

 under wing coverts white ; rest of under surface of the body bright yellow ; 

 chest feathers washed with scarlet ; abdomen|and flanks tinged with olive. Bill 

 black ; iris and feet dark brown. 



Adult female. Above dull olive green ; crown tinged with greyish ; edges of 

 tail feathers more yellow ; rump pale olive green ; chin and throat greyish, 

 passing into olive yellowish on the chest, and becoming still paler and more 

 yellowish on the flanks and abdomen ; under tail coverts deep yellow ; under 

 wing coverts and inner margins of quills white ; tail largely tipped with 

 whitish. 



Length. 5'6 to 5*8 inches; wing 2 f i to 2-25 ; tail 2'5 to 2'8 ; tarsus O'6 to 

 0-62 ; culmen O'8 to 0*9. 



Hab. Eastern Himalayas from Nepaul to Bhootan and the Khasia hills. 

 Extremely common at Darjeeling in gardens in and about the station. 

 According to Hodgson's notes, quoted by Hume (JVests and Eggs), it begins to 

 lay in April, and builds a comparatively large, oval, pensile nest, composed of 

 moss and wool and lined throughout with silky down. The nest is attached to 

 some leafy twig at an elevation of from 3 to 5 feet from the ground. It 

 breeds in Nepaul in the central hilly region. Eggs, 2 to 3, moderately broad 

 ovals, 0'68 x o'43, white, with reddish mottlings towards the large end. 



Dr. Gadow's observation in regard to this species is that it is represented in 

 Western Nepaul and Gurhwal by <ffi. Horsfieldii, which differs only by the 

 absence of the deep maroon red colour of the mantle, which is olive, like the 

 rest of the back ; the deep red is, however, still visible on the sides of the lower 

 neck and between the metallic parts of the hind neck and the mantle. 



730. JEthopyga sanguinipectus, Wald., Ann. and Mag. N. Hist. 

 1875 ; xv. p. 400 ; Hume, Str. F. 1875, p. 402; id. and Dav. t Str. F. 1878, 



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