SUNBIRDS. 69 



peculiarities into account, I think I am correct iu considering 

 this Cashmere example to be a small specimen of B. plumipes. 



Such close coincidences of plumage between examples of 

 B. desertorum and B. plumipes are by no means common, and 

 most specimens of both species, even when not characterised 

 by any extremes of coloration, may be distinguished not only 

 by the comparative measurements of birds of the same sex, but 

 when this criterion proves insufficient, as is sometimes the case, 

 by a different character of coloration and marking which, 

 though not easy to define by description, is, in most cases, suffi- 

 ciently perceptible when an adequate series of specimens is 

 available for comparison. 



[It will be observed that Mr. Gurney accepts generally my 

 contention that B. rufiventer, J erd. = B. plumipes, nee, B. deser- 

 torum ; that the wings of the largest female, desertorum, measured 

 as I measure them, do not exceed from 152 to 15 - 3 ; that deser- 

 torum so far as we yet know does not really occur iu India, 

 though one specimen from Cashmere, might perhaps be assigned 

 to that species. — A. 0. H.] 



tanbfrte. 



Having forwarded to Captain G-. E. Shelley, who is now issuing 

 a splendid monograph of the Sunbirds, the type specimen of a 

 supposed new species of Sunbird, which 1 named and des- 

 cribed (S. F., Vol. III., p. 320) as Anthreptes xanthochlora, he 

 informs me that it is certainly, despite the great difference in 

 size, the female of A. simplex. 



He furnishes me at the same time with a sketch of the 

 classification he proposes to adopt, subject, of course, to such 

 alterations as the progress of his investigations may show to be 

 necessary. 



As he authorizes me to make any use I like of this 

 sketch, and as portions of it cannot fail to be useful to Indian 

 ornithologists, I do not hesitate to reproduce these here. 



He divides the family as follows : — 



Sub-family I. — Neodrepanin^e (Madagascar.) 

 „ II. — Nectariniin^e. 



„ III. — Promeropin^e (Africa.) 



He divides the 2nd sub-family into 11 genera, three belonging 

 to the Nectarinia group {Nectarinia, Hedydipna, Antlirobaplies, 

 which are all African ; three belonging to the iExHOPYGA group, 



