446 PERCHING BIRDS. 



plumage, a shining malachite-green with the tufts of the breast brilliant yellow ; 

 the two central tail-feathers are prolonged three inches beyond the rest ; and the 

 wings and tail are blackish. The female is dull brown above, tinged with green, 

 and beneath is greenish yellow. 



Metallic Sun- The sun-bird (N. metallica), represented in our illustration on 



Bird - p. 445, inhabits Equatorial Africa, living in pairs wherever the 

 mimosa is abundant. During the heat of the day its actions become most animated ; 

 and at noon, when all the other birds seek rest and shelter from the parching heat, 

 this sun-bird flies from blossom to blossom, accompanied by its faithful little mate. 

 Standing beneath a mimosa tree in full flower, an observer may hear its quick 

 whirring flight as it alights upon the branches of the thorn-bushes, and begins to 

 probe the blossoms in search of honey and the insects which enter the interior of 

 the flowers in search of sweets. It feeds also upon flies and other winged insects 

 which it takes in flight ; and as soon as a male has exhausted the contents of 

 the blossoms of one tree, he darts off to another, always followed by his mate. 

 The male bird is much devoted to his companion, whom he frequently entertains 

 with a lively song; and he is jealous of any intruder, darting angrily against any 

 stray male that may happen to invade his territory, and promptly expelling him 

 from the neighbourhood. The nest is suspended in the centre of some mimosa- 

 tree, and is built of the down of plants and cobwebs ; the eggs being reddish white 

 in ground-colour, variegated with dark grey and violet. The adult male is 

 brilliant green above, with the addition of a violet gorget; the wings and tail 

 being bluish black, and the under-parts bright yellow. The female is olive-brown 

 above, and sulphur-yellow beneath. 



The Indian genera of the family are five in number, four of which are included 

 in one subfamily and the fifth in another. 



THE HONEY-PECKERS. 

 Family DlCJEID^. 



If we exclude from this family the white-eyes, the birds to which the above 

 name is applied comprise a group of small and mostly gaily-coloured species, 

 distributed over the whole of the Oriental and a part of the Australian region, and 

 nearly allied to the sun-birds, from which they may be distinguished by the beak 

 being short and triangular, instead of long, slender, and cylindrical. Moreover, 

 while all the sun-birds have ten primary quills to the wing, in the honey -peckers 

 the number of these feathers may be either ten or nine ; in all cases the tail is 

 short, and the metatarsus is never elongated. In the majority of the species the 

 two sexes differ markedly in plumage, although in a few they are alike ; and in 

 all instances the young resemble the females. None of them migrate, not even 

 locally ; while all are remarkable for the beauty of their nests, which are frequently 

 suspended from branches, and pear-like in form. In India the family is repre- 

 sented by four genera, of which three, and among them the typical Dicceum, have 

 nine primaries, while in the other three a small tenth primary is retained. A 

 well-known representative of the typical genus is the scarlet-backed flower-pecker 



