OR FAMILY OF SUN-BIRDS. 269 



interbreed with the magnificent giants depicted by Mr. Keul- 

 man's as typical examples of this sp eies. 



Doubtless, some minor errors will have to be eliminated in 

 a postscriptal notice, but taking" the work as a whole, when 

 we say that, so far as it has proceeded, it promises to form 

 a worthy companion volume to Mr. Sharpe's alcedinid^, we 

 have given it, we consider, the highest possible commendation. 



Part I. appeared 28th July 1876. 



pi. 1. Anthodiceta collaris. — The plate is interesting as showing 

 that even the nestling exhibits metallic colours, which is 

 not, we believe, the case in any other genus of this family. 

 We note that Ant/iodiata of Cabanis. (Mus. Cab. and Hein. 

 I, 1U0) is a genus which, as pointed out by Bonaparte 

 (Compt. Rend., 1854, p. 265) can scarcely be adopted. 



— Anthodiceta hypodila. — We ai'e glad to see that the late 



Sir W. Jardine's Nectarinia hypodilus has been determined, 

 although it replaces the better known name sub-collaris. 

 A great portion of the notes in this case are the result of 

 the author's own observations. 



— Anthodiceta zambesiana is described as a new species from 

 East Africa. It is said to be intermediate between the 

 two last closely allied species. The figures, we are told, 

 have been taken from specimens in the British Museum ; 

 but they have not yet appeared. 



pi. 2. Nectarinia famosa represents the adult male and 

 female. We doubt if in nature the yellow pectoral tufts 

 would be so fully shown. A friend, who has shot many 

 specimens of this glorious bird, assures us that here too the 

 thickness of the bird has been greatly exaggerated. We 

 find included in the synonymy Trochilus pella (part, Africa,) 

 and T. capensis, P. L. Mtiller, and Certhia tabacina, Lath. 

 Captain Shelley separates the Abyssinian allied species 

 under the name N. cupreonitem. The author gives a 

 good description of the habits of this species from personal 

 observation. 



— Cinnyris microrhynchus. — This is the second supposed new 



species described by Captain Shelley from East Africa. 

 It is only separable from C. bifasciatus "by its very 

 small bill and smaller general" size/' and we think requires 

 confirmation. Our author observes : — "It is worthy of 

 note that of the many West African species of Sun-birds, 

 which have been met with between the Senegal river and 

 the Congo, not one extends its range to any part of the 

 east coast between Cape Guardafui and the Cape of 

 Good Hope." 



k 10 



