“fy 
: PASSERINE. 317 
‘ arcuated beak, which is not longer than the head, is depressed and 
: widened at base. They inhabit the East Indies, are very small, and 
grerally have some: scarlet i in their plumage. 
Meuirureptus, Vieill. 
The tail not worn; beak extremely long, and curved almost into a 
semicircle. From the South Sea Islands. One of them, 
Certhia vestiara, Sh.; Vieill. Ois. Dor. II, pl. 52, and Gal. 181, 
is covered with scarlet feathers used by the Sandwich islanders 
in the manufacture of the beautiful mantles of that colour, 
which they so highly prize.(1) 
Cryyynis, Cuy.(2) 
Tail not worn; edges of the two mandibles of the long and very 
slender beak, finely serrate; the tongue, which is susceptible of 
protrusion, terminates in a little fork. They are small birds, the 
males of which, during the nuptial season, are ornamented with 
metallic colours, approaching in lustre to those of the Humming- 
bird, of which, in this respect, they are the représentatives in the 
eastern continent, they being principally found in Africa and the 
archipelago of India. They live on the nectar of flowers, which 
they suck up with their bills; their disposition is lively, and their 
notes very agreeable. The beauty of their plumage has made them 
acommon ornament of our cabinets, but as it is very different in 
both sexes during the winter, &c. it becomes an extremely difficult 
matter to characterize the species. 
The tail, in most of them, is equal.(3) 
erythropygia, Lath. 2d supp., is probably the female;—the Wecturinia rubicosa, 
Tem. Col. f. 2. and 3, does not appear to differ from it—€. taniata, Sonner. Tl, 
Voy. pl. cvii, fig. 3;—C. cantillans, Ib. Id. 2;—Motacilla hirwndinacea, Sh. Nat. 
Misc. No, 114. 
(1) Add Certh. obscura, Vieill. Ois. Dor. II, pl. liti; —C. pacifica, Id. pl. Ixiii; the 
other species of this naturalist belong to very different genera, chiefly to the Phi- 
ledons, &c. 
(2) The Greek name of some very small unknown bird. The natives of Mada- 
gascar call them Souz-mangat, i. ec. eat-sugar. Vieillot has adopted the above 
name and genus, Gal. 177. . 
(3) Certh. splendida, Sh. Vieill. 82;—C. caffia, Edw. 347;—C. superba, Vieill. 
22;—C. lotenia, Enl. 575, 2, 3, Vieill. 34;—amethystina, Vieill. 5 and 6;—chalybea, 
Enl. 246, 3, Vieill- 10, 13, 18, 24, 34, 80;—ommnicolor, Seb. 1, 69, 5;—cuprea, 
Vieill. 23;—purpurata, Edw. 265, Vieill. 11;—cyanocephala, Vieill. 7;—Z. zetlon- 
ica, Enl. 576, 4; Vieill. 29, 30;—dubia, Vieill. 81;—senegalensis, Vieill. 8;—spe- 
rata, Enl. 246, 1, 2; Vieill. 16, 32, of which the lepida of Sparm. 35, is the female ;— 
madagascariensis, Vieill. 18;—currucaria, Enl. 576, 3, Vieill. 31;—rubro-fusca, 
Vieill. 27;—fuliginosa, Vieill. 20;—maculata, Vieill. 21;—venusta, Vieill. 79;— 
