298 ZOSTEROPID.E 



parties, engaged in busily hunting over the leaves and flowers in 

 search of small insects and nectar. In Natal this Sunbird is double 

 brooded, the first young being hatched in January, the second in 

 March. The domed nest, small, and neatly constructed of fine dry 

 grass lined with horsehair and feathers, is usually suspended, at no 

 great height above the ground, from the outer twigs or leaves of 

 a thick bush, frequently from a young orange-tree. The eggs, in- 

 variably two in number, are greyish-white, thickly mottled and 

 dotted with slate-grey and brown. They measure 0'58 x 0-42. 



7^ A 



C^/^4^AMJt4^f^f^ 

 172. Anthothreptes collaris hypodilus, Zambesi Collared Sunbird. 



Nectarinia hypodila, Jardine, Contr. Orn. 1851, p. 153. 



Anthodiseta zambesiana, Shelley, Monogr. Cinnyrida, p. 343, pi. iii, 



(1877) ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 321 (1884). 

 Anthothreptes collaris zambesiana, Gadoiv, Cat. B. M. ix, p. 117 



(1884). 

 Anthothreptes hypodilus, Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 6 (1896). 



Description. Adult male. Similar to the male of A. collaris, 

 but the metallic golden-green plumage of the latter is in A. collaris 

 hypodilus replaced by metallic golden copper-colour, and the secon- 

 daries are tinged with green and glossed with golden copper-colour. 



Iris dark brown ; bill, legs and feet black. 



Length 4-00; wing 2-00 ; tail 1-50 ; tarsus 0-60; culmen 0-50. 



Adult female. Eesembles the male above, but is entirely yellow 

 below. 



Young. Eesemble the female. 



Distribution. From the south bank of the Zambesi to British 

 East Africa. 



Habits. Like those of A. collaris. 



Family XL ZOSTEROPID^E. 



The " White-eyes," so-called from the conspicuous ring of white 

 feathers which encircles the eyes of the majority of the species, are 

 birds of small size and very uniform style of coloration. Their 

 relationships are rather doubtful. By Dr. Sharpe and Captain 

 Shelley they are placed in a distinct family between the Tits 

 (Paridce) and the Oriental Flower-peckers (Dicceidce), by Mr. 

 Gates among the Brachypterygince and by Dr. Gadow among 



' ^ 







