286 NECTABINIID^ CINNYRIS 



163. Cinnyris gutturalis. Scarlet-chested Sunbird. 



Certhia gutturalis, Linnceus, Syst. Nat. i, p. 186 (1766). 



Le sucrier protee, Levaillant, Ois. d^ Afr. vi, p. 165 (1808), part. 



Nectarinia natalensis, Jardine, Monogr. Sunbirds, pp. 193, 256, pi. 12 



(1843) : Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 80 (1867). 

 Nectarinia senegalensis, Strickland and Sclater, Contr. Orn., 1852, p. 



153; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 80 (1867). 

 Chalcomitra gutturalis, Gurney in Andersson's B. Damara Land, p. 



73 (1872) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 4 (1896). 

 Cinnyris gutturalis, Shelley, Monogr. Cinnyridcc, p. 261, pi. 81 (1877) ; 



Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. pp. 311, 830 (1884) ; Gadow, Cat. 



B. M. ix, p. 91 (1884). 

 Nectarinia gutturalis, Sharpe, Cat. Afr. Birds, No. 364 (1871) ; Holub 



and Pelzeln, Orn. Siidafr. p. 73 (1882). 



Description. Adult male. Entire head and body soft velvety 

 black shaded with brown on the back ; the forehead, centre of 

 crown and cheeks glossed with metallic dark green, the upper 

 throat with golden-green ; centre of lower throat and chest bright 

 scarlet, each feather with a subterminal bar of metallic blue ; wing 

 and tail golden-brown, a patch at the bend of wing metallic-black 

 changing to violet and purple in certain lights ; under wing-coverts 

 black ; quills below dark golden-brown. 



Iris dark brown ; bill, legs and feet black. 



Length in flesh 6-00, of skin 5'75 ; wing 3-00 ; tail 2-25 ; tarsus 

 0-70 ; culmen 1-10. 



Adult female. Above, earth-brown ; eyebrow and cheek dull 

 white ; wing and tail-quills brown slightly tipped with w r hitish ; 

 below buff-white, the throat, sides and flanks tinged with brown, 

 the throat and chest mottled with dark brown ; edge of wing and 

 outer edge of primary coverts white ; under wing-coverts mottled 

 brown and white ; bill, legs and feet black. 



Length 5-25; wing 2-60 ; tail 2-00; tarsus O60 ; culmen 1-00. 



Young male. At first resembles the female ; the change to the 

 adult male plumage is first seen on the throat. 



0s. The adult female of this species closely resembles the 

 female of C. amethystinus ; the chin and throat are, however, paler 

 and more distinctly mottled with dark brown in the former, and, in 

 addition, the primary coverts are edged with white. 



Distribution. East, South-east, and South-west Africa : ranging 

 on the east coast from Mombasa to the Great Fish Eiver in Eastern 

 Cape Colony ; on the west from the Congo Kiver to Damara Land. 



