SUN-BIRDS. 



59 



insects from the interior of flowers. The nostrils 

 are short, oval, covered with a membrane, and 

 opening only by a lateral slit. The wings are 

 comparatively weak; the feet of moderate size, 

 formed for perching. 



With a few slight exceptions the Sun-birds are 

 peculiar to the Old World, where they represent 

 the Humming-birds, which are peculiar to the 

 New. The typical genus which contains the ma- 

 jority of the species, and these, such as are pre- 

 eminently distinguished for their lustrous beauty, 

 is proper to Africa and India, extending through 

 the great Oriental Archipelago. Some of the 

 genera are spread over the Australasian and Po- 

 lynesian groups of islands, and of these all are 

 destitute of metallic radiance, and some are of 

 sombre colours. 



GENUS NECTARINIA. (!LLIG.) 



The beak in this genus is usually long, slender, 

 and sharp pointed; the base dilated, and the edges 

 minutely cut into regular saw-like teeth. The 

 tongue is long and slender, the edges, for the 

 whole length, turned over inwards, so as to form a 

 double tube, the tip divided into two filaments, 

 which are /ringed. The wings are rounded, the 

 first quill nearly obsolete. The tail is broad and 

 rounded, with the middle pair of feathers more 

 or less lengthened and narrowed. 



These brilliant little creatures, as we have al- 

 ready observed, are found in Western and South- 

 ern Africa, and in the continent and islands of 

 India, some of great beauty extending even to 

 the alpine elevation of the Himalaya mountains. 



