352 



tail-coverts, and middle pair of tail-feathers crimson ; remainder 

 of tail brown, margined with crimson or rufous exteriorly ; rump 

 yellow ; wings brown, each feather edged with olive-yellow ; sca- 

 pulars greenish ; chin and throat purple, changing to steel-blue at 

 the sides ; lores and ear-coverts dull black ; breast yellow suffused 

 in the middle with crimson ; remainder of lower plumage dull 

 greenish yellow. 



Female. General colour green, the crown-feathers with concealed 

 dark centres, the rump and upper tail-coverts margined with 

 greenish yellow ; wings dark brown margined with yellowish ; 

 middle tail-feathers yellowish brown, the others blackish on the 

 inner web and green on the outer, and obsoletely tipped pale ; throat 

 and breast tinged with ashy; middle of abdomen rather bright yellow. 



Bill and legs black; iris dark brown (Hume Coll.) 



Male : length about 8 ; tail 5 ; wing 2-3 ; tarsus '65 ; bill from 

 gape "85 ; the middle pair of tail-feathers are 2'7 longer than the 

 next pair. Female: length about 5; tail 1*6; wing 2*2; the 

 outermost tail-feathers fall short of tip of tail by *5. 



Distribution. Nepal ; Sikhim ; Bhutan ; the Khasi hills ; the 

 Naga hills ; Manipnr. Hume records this species from Kurnauu 

 and Garhwal and also from Sylhet and Cachar ; but I have seen no 

 specimens from these localities. Blanford observed this bird in 

 Sikhim at 11,000 feet. 



888. .ffithopyga gouldiae. Mrs. Gould's Yellow-backed Sun-bird. 



Cinnyrisgouldise, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 44 ; Gould, Cent. pi. 56. 



Nectarinia gouldiae ( Vigors), Blyth, Cat. p. 223. 



^Ethopyga gouldiee ( Vigors), Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 733 ; Jerd. B. 1. 

 i, p. 364 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. 'xxxvii, pt. ii, p. 23 ; Wald. Ibis, 

 1870, p. 35 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. ii, p. 156 ; Shelley, 

 Mon. Nect. Tpip. xx, xxii, 41, pi. 14; Hume, Cat. no. 227; Oates, 

 B. B. i, p. 315 ; Gadow, Cat. B. M. ix, p. 27 ; Hume, S. F. xi, 

 p. 81. 



The Purple-taUed Red Honey-sucker, Jerd. 



Coloration. Male. Forehead, crown, chin, throat, and the posterior 

 part of the ear-coverts coppery red or burnished purple according 

 to the light ; lores blackish ; a line of feathers over the lores, cheeks, 

 sides of the head and neck, lesser wing-coverts, back, and scapulars 

 crimson ; rump yellow ; upper tail-coverts rich purple or violet ; 

 basal three quarters of the median tail-feathers bright purple, ter- 

 minal quarter brown ; the other rectrices brown, tinged with purple 

 on the outer web and tipped with whitish ; greater coverts and 

 quills dark brown, edged with yellowish brown ; lower plumage 

 bright yellow ; the breast more or less streaked with crimson ; the 

 sides of the breast crimson, with a patch of bright purple below the 

 ear-coverts ; under wing-coverts and axillaries whitish. 



Female. Upper plumage light green, the feathers of the crown 

 with brown centres ; rump sulphur-yellow ; tail brown edged with 



