THE CAPE SUX-BIRD. BIRDS. THE PURPLE SUN-BIRD. 



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THE CAPE SUN-BIRD (Promerops cq/er), the only 

 species of its genus, is, as implied in its name, a native 

 of the Cape of Good Hope, where it exhibits a par- 

 ticular partiality for the flowers of the Protea. It 

 measures about fifteen inches in length, and has a 

 very long, wedge-shaped tail, and a slender, black, 

 and slightly-curved bill. The plumage of the upper 

 parts, including the wings and tail, is greenish-brown, 

 with the top of the head varied with grey and brown, 

 and the rump and upper tail-coverts olive-green ; the 

 throat is dingy white, bordered on each side by a 

 black line ; the breast is brownish-orange, the belly 

 nearly white, spotted with brown, and the lower tail- 

 coverts are of a fine yellow colour. According to Le 

 Vaillant's observations, this bird feeds upon the juices 

 of flowers. When he kept them in confinement, he 

 procured the flowers of the Protea and other plants 

 to which the birds are attached, and they resorted to 

 them freely in search of nourishment ; or, in default of 

 flowers, they fed readily upon honey mixed with water. 

 They build their nests on the forked branches of trees. 



THE BRONZED SUN-BIRD (Nectarinia cenea). The 

 genus Nectarinia, to which this bird belongs, includes 

 upwards of a hundred known species all inhabitants 

 of the warm regions of Africa and Asia. Of these we 

 can of course only notice a few, and we may com- 

 mence with the African species, of which the Bronzed 

 Sun-bird is one. 



In the male of this species the whole upper surface 

 is of a bronze colour, with bluish and greenish tints in 

 certain lights ; the wings and tail are of a bronzed 

 black, and the lower surface of the body, the bill, and 

 feet are black. The female, on the other hand, is 

 of an olive colour above and blackish-brown below. 

 This bird makes its nest in the hole of a tree, where 

 it lays five or six eggs of a pale rose colour, with small 

 reddish spots. 



THE BEAUTIFUL SUN-BIRD (Nectarinia pulchella), 

 which is an inhabitant of the west coast of Africa, and 

 especially of Senegal, is a charming little species, of a 

 brilliant metallic-green colour, with the exception of 

 the breast, which is red, and the wings and tail which 

 are black. The bill and feet are also black. These 

 are the tints of the male, in which the two middle tail- 

 feathers are about two inches longer than the rest ; the 

 female is far more sober in her clothing, exhibiting only 

 different tints of brown. The length of the bird is from 

 six to seven inches. 



THE VIOLET-HEADED SUN-BIRD (Nectarinia vio- 

 lacea), a native of the Cape of Good Hope, is a rather 

 smaller species than the preceding. It has the head 

 and neck of a violet colour, passing on the throat to 

 metallic blue and green ; the rest of the plumage is 

 olive-green, with the exception of the abdomen which 

 is orange colour. The female is of an olive-green 

 colour. The bill and feet are black in both sexes. 

 The male is said to have an agreeable song. The nest 

 of this species is built in a bush, and composed of moss 

 and lichens externally, with an inner lining of hair. 

 The eggs are usually five in number, and yellowish- 

 white, with brown dots. 



THE SHINING SUN-BIRD (Nectarinia famosa), the 

 GREEN SUGAR-BIRD of the Dutch colonists at the Cape 

 VOL. i. 



of Good Hope, where the species is very abundant, 

 is one of the most beautiful and remarkable of the 

 African species. It measures rather more than nine 

 inches in length, and has a long tail, of which the two 

 middle feathers are about two inches longer than the 

 rest. The general colour of the plumage of the male is 

 a fine golden green, passing to steel blue on the lower 

 part of the belly. The quill feathers of the wings and 

 tail are violet black ; but the secondaries and the two 

 elongated middle tail feathers are margined with golden 

 green ; a deep-black line runs from the base of the bill 

 to the eye, and on each side of the breast there is a 

 small tuft of yellow feathers. The bill and feet are 

 black. The female is smaller than the male, and of 

 a yellowish-grey colour above, yellow beneath. The 

 male is said to have a pleasing song. The nest is 

 composed of fibres and moss, and lined with hair. 

 The eggs are four or five in number, and of a greenish 

 colour. 



THE SPLENDID SUN-BIRD (Nectarinia splendida), 

 another African species, and the last from that con- 

 tinent to which we shall refer, is remarkable for the 

 brilliancy of the violet tint, with purple and blue reflec- 

 tions, exhibited by the head, neck, breast, and abdomen. 

 Over these parts are scattered numerous points of bright 

 red, with golden and green tints. The upper surface is 

 of a fine golden-green colour ; and the feathers of the 

 wings and tail are violet black. These are the colours 

 of the male ; but the partner of this splendid bird is far 

 more modest in her dress, her plumage presenting only 

 different shades of brown on the upper surface, whilst 

 the lower parts are greyish. The nest is placed in the 

 hollow trunk of a tree ; and the eggs, which are four or 

 five in number, are white. 



THE PURPLE SUN-BIRD (Nectarinia asiatica), which 

 is an abundant species in all parts of India, varies con- 

 siderably in colour according to the season, the breeding 

 dress of the male being a deep violet-blue, with greenish 

 lustre, and with a tuft of yellow feathers on each side 

 of the breast. The female is of an earthy brown above 

 and greenish-yellow beneath. The length of the bird 

 is about four inches and a half. 



The Purple Sun-bird is found both on the continent 

 of India and in Ceylon, and is observed to feed in part 

 upon the honey which it extracts from flowers, and 

 in part upon insects. The latter it captures, not only 

 from the flowers over which it hovers while exploring 

 their recesses with its curved bill, but also from the 

 branches and twigs of plants ; and it has been seen by 

 Mr. Jerdon to capture insects on the wing. Its note is 

 a feeble but sweet chirping. The nest which is a dome- 

 shaped, or bottle-shaped structure, is suspended from 

 the end of a twig, and is sometimes attached to the web 

 of a spider in a suitable situation, and composed partly 

 of cobweb, in which Mr. Layard says he has seen the 

 spider still at work, thus rendering the concealment 

 of the nest very complete. Mr. Jerdon describes 

 the process of building adopted by this ingenious little 

 architect as follows : " The nest was commenced on a 

 thick spider's web, by attaching to it various fragments 

 of paper, cloth, straw, grass, and other substances, till 

 it had secured a firm hold of the twig to which the web 

 adhered ; and the nest suspended on this was then 



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