282 NECTARINIID^] CINNTKIS 



through Matabililand, Mashonaland andBechuanaland into Ondongo, 

 the Okavango Kiver district and Benguela, and extending west- 

 ward into Damara and Great Namaqua Lands. 



Habits. Andersson remarks, in the " Birds of Damara Land," 

 p. 72 : "I only met with this exquisite little species in my journey- 

 ings to the Okavango, in the neighbourhood of which river it was 

 very abundant during the rainy season, being migratory, and arriving 

 a little before the commencement of the rains. 



"I also found it very common, though exceedingly shy, on the 

 edge of the bush in Ondongo, where I obtained its nest on February 

 19 ; it was very large and strongly built, and resembled in form 

 and material that of C. fusca ; it contained five small, oblong, and 

 pure white eggs. Another nest, taken on March 27, also contained 

 five eggs. 



" This Sunbird is exceedingly lively in its habits, and at the 

 approach of the pairing-season it becomes inspired with the most 

 lovely and exquisite melodies ; in fact its voice is then enchanting 

 beyond description, being a concentration of the softest trilling and 

 melodious notes. I always found it either singly or in pairs." 



In stating that this species lays five white eggs, Mr. Andersson 

 was almost undoubtedly mistaken. All the nests of this Sunbird 

 that I have seen, both in Natal and the Transvaal, have contained 

 two eggs only, greyish in ground colour, spotted and dotted all 

 over with slate colour and brown and averaging O72 x 0-50. The 

 nest resembles that of other Sunbirds in being domed and pendent. 



^i^^^y^ 



160. Cinnyris afer. Greater Double-collared Sunbird. 



Certhia afra, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 186 (1766). 



Le sucrier a plastron rouge, Levaill. Ois. cTAfr. vi, p. 176, pi. 300 



(1808). 

 Cinnyris afra, Cuvier, Eegn. Anim. i, p. 412 (1817) ; Gurney in 



Andersson 's B. Damara Land, p. 70 (1872) ; Gadow Cat. B. M. ix, 



p. 35 (1884). 

 Cinnyris afer, Shelley, Monogr. Cinnyridce, p. 249, pi. 77 (1877) ; id. 



B. Afr. i, p. 4 (1896) ; Sliarpe, ed. Layard's B. 8. Afr. pp. 313, 830 



(1884). 

 Nectarinia afra, Jardine, Sunbirds, pp. 169, 247, pi. 2 (1843) ; Layard, 



B. S. Afr. p. 76 (1867) ; Holub and Pelzeln, Om. Sudafr. p. 72 



(1882). 



Description. Adult male. Entire head, neck, throat, back and 

 lesser and middle wing-coverts metallic-green ; upper tail-coverts 



