THE ISLANDS OF THE BAY OF BENGAL. 197 



the feathers hair brown at their bases, but broadly tipped and 

 margined with, deep olive green, which in good specimens alone 

 is visible until the feathers are lifted ; quills and coverts hair 

 brown, all the feathers but the first two primaries narrowly- 

 margined on their exterior webs, with a dark olive green ; tail 

 feathers black, the three exterior feathers on either side tipped 

 with somewhat brownish white ; the exterior of all very broadly, 

 and the next two more narrowly ; lower breast and whole of 

 the lower parts bright yellow, perhaps nearer gamboge yellow 

 than any other shade; axillary tufts still brighter and with 

 an orange tinge; wing lining and the inner margins of the 

 quills towards their bases, white. The wing lining feathers 

 tinged and margined with pale yellow. 



Females in full breeding plumage have the crown and fore- 

 head olive green like the back, but somewhat duskier. The chin, 

 throat, and upper breast like the lower breast and abdomen, but 

 slightly duller. They have no bright colored axillary tufts. 

 The lores are dark olive green, and generally the whole under- 

 surface of the females are somewhat duller than in the males. 



In non-breeding plumage the males appear to be similar to 

 the females, except that some of the feathers of the forehead 

 are very narrowly and faintly margined with steel blue. 



We procured no male of this species with a central gular stripe, 

 such as, the males of asiatica, andamanica, &c, exhibit in non- 

 bi-eeding plumage, and it seems therefore possible, considering 

 the large series we obtained, that they never exhibit this. 



In some specimens, both male and female, in worn plumage 

 a great deal of the olive green has disappeared off the back, 

 leaving the dull brown basal portion of the feathers the pre- 

 dominant tint. 



Some few of the males in full breeding plumage exhibit on 

 the sides of the breast just at the junction of the steel blue and 

 yellow, two or three maroon tipped feathers. 



Davison remarks : — " This little houeysucker is very abun- 

 dant on the Nicobar Islands, and numbers may always be seen 

 in the tops of the cocoanut palms hopping about among the 

 flowers. I have frequently seen the male perch himself on an 

 exposed branch, slightly open his wings, elevate his axillary 

 tufts, and pour forth a feeble, twittering, but pleasing little song." 



Of the nidification of this species, which I believe occurs 

 within our limits only in the Nicobars, the following brief note 

 by Mr. Davison sums up all we yet know : — " Although I 

 found several nests of this species, I never obtained the eggs ; 

 on the 19th of January I found a nest at Camorta, I shot both 



