82 BIRDS OP SOtTH AFRICA. 



regions of Great Namaqualand : he neither found the nest nor the 

 egifs. Le Vaillant's original specimen is in the Leyden Museum, and 

 is composed of portions of N. Chalybea, with a red stomach inserted. 

 1 should think likewise the long tai] -feathers had been stolen from. 

 ^T. Famosa. 



138. Nectarinia Splendida. (Shaw.) Cuv, 



VoL 2, PL 360 ; Certhia Coccinigastra, Lath. ; Sucrier 

 Eboulissant, Le Vail., PL 295, Fig. 1 ; C in. Bomby* 

 sinus, Vieil. ; Jard. Sunbirds, PL 5 ; Cinnyris Lucidu8 t 



Less. 



MALE. Head and neck, brilliant shades of purple, violet, and 

 blue ; the breast and body darker, spotted with glowing 

 red, golden -yellow, and green ; tho back, shoulders, rump, 

 and tipper tail-coverts, vivid green and gold ; wing and 

 tail-feathers velvet-black ; bill and feet black ; eyes maroon. 

 FEMALE. Above uniform brown ; tail and wings shaded 

 with olive-green; lateral tail-feathers edged with dull 

 white ; lower parts greyish ; bill and feet brown-black. 

 Length, 3|"; wings, 2J". 



Inhabits Great JNTamaqualand, towards Fish Hirer, according td 

 Le Vail Ian t, and builds in mimosas. Eggs white, four or five in num- 

 ber. I have never met with it in this country, nor has any one sinca 

 Le Vaillant's time. It is a native of Senegambia, Guinea, and Congo. 



139. Nectarinia Pulchella. (Linn.), PL En. 



070, f. 1. ; Cuv., VoL 2. p. 364 ; Cinnyris Caudatus, 

 Vieil.; Swain., Nat. Lib., VoL 8, p. 123 ; C. Pul~ 

 chellus, Vieil., Ois. dO'r. t 41 ; Suerier Cossu, Le 

 Vail., PL 293, Fig. 1. 



HEAD, neck, shouldeis, and upper wing-coverts, changeable 

 green, everywhere shot with gold, toned red on the scapu- 

 laries ; breast crimson, margined with yellow ; the rump and 

 upper tail-coverts, brilliant violet, glancing purple, or steel- 

 blue ; wing and shorter tail-feathers, blackish- brown ; the 

 two long tail-feathers red-gold; bill brown, short, and 

 straight. The female somewhat smaller ; body also yellow ; 

 but the head, neck, shoulders, and rump are greyish-red, 

 shaded olive, and slightly shot with gold; wing and tail 

 feathers reddish- olive ; bill and feet brown, ; tongue long. 



Inhabits Nainaqualand, and lives chiefly on jasmines. Nest un- 

 known. A Senegal species not found in South Africa by any one 

 since Lo Vaillant's time ; and it is doubtful if he did so. 



