370 OhUuanj. 



Sun-birds were ])ublislicd in Parts, from July 28, 1870, to 

 February 1880. Tbe Family of the Ncctariniidpe, he tells us, 

 inhabits Africa, j\Iadagascar and the neighbouring islands, 

 Palestine, Southern Asia, Sumatra, Java_, Borneo, the Philip- 

 pines, Celebes, New Guinea, North Australia, and the 

 Papuan and Moluccan Arcliipelagos. They arc not found 

 in Europe or North Africa, Northern Asia, nor in any 

 portion of the Western Hemisphere. Captain Shelley's first 

 attraction towards the family of Sun-birds took place in 

 Nubia, where he fell in with ^' the first truly tropical form 

 of bird that he had ever procured." " The sense of 

 pleasure'' — as he tells us — " with which I preserved my first 

 specimens of this beautiful little bird on the banks of the 

 Nile above the First Cataract, and the engaging habits of 

 the species, impressed me so much that on all my subsequent 

 visits to the African Continent I paid especial attention to 

 the Sun-birds in every country I visited." In 1870, Captain 

 Shelley lieard that the late Marquis of Twecddale and 

 Mr. EoAvdler Sharpe contem])lated the production of a 

 jMonograph of the Nectariniidce, and it was only on their 

 making no signs in this direction that, after the lapse of 

 some years, he commenced to write his now famous work. 

 To employ his own words : '^ If T have succeeded in reducing 

 the family to a better state of order than it before exhibited, 

 it is in a great measure due to the kindly assistance which 

 I have received from ornithologists in all parts of the world ; 

 wliile at the same time I feel that I have left no stone 

 unturned, nor spared any pains in my endeavour to make 

 my Monograph as complete as circumstances would allow." 

 Captain Shelley was ably assisted by Dr. Bowdler Sharpe, 

 who put him in the right road at the commencement, and 

 lent him every sort of assistance throughout, wherever 

 doubtful points required advice. The late Marquis of 

 Tweeddale generously placed the whole of liis valuable 

 collection of Sun-birds at Shelley's service. This included 

 a large immber of examples of the scarce Philippine forms, 

 without which the work would have been imperfect. So 

 great an undertaking required encouragement, especially at 



