466 Birds of Celebes: Nectahniidae. 



throat down to the breast white; remaining under-parts yellow; lesser 

 under wing-coverts at the edge of the wing yellow, the others white. The 

 malar stripe and the middle tail-feathers steel-blue as in the adult; also two new 

 golden gi-een feathers of maturity in the cap (after W. Blasius e 6). 



Female. Much like the young male, without the last-mentioned characters. Upper half 

 of head and back of neck ashy grey; back, scapulars and least wing-coverts 

 ohve [yellow-ohve]; remainder of wings dark brown, with all the feathers broadly 

 edged with oHve, on the quills yellower; tail black, the feathers mostly tipped with 

 white, most broadly so on the outer ones; chin and throat white; breast, abdomen 

 and under tail- coverts sulphur-yellow; quills below brown, their inner margins 

 and the under wing- coverts white, the latter partially washed with pale yellow 

 (after Shelley el). 



Measurements (5 adult males). Wing 58.5 — 63 mm; tad :$6 — 40.5; culmen 15.5 — 17.5; tarsus 

 14 (W. Bias, e 6). 



Distribution. S. and W. Celebes: — Macassar (S. Miiller al, Wallace bl, f 1, Meyer d 4, 

 Platen e 6, Weber e 2, etc.); Tjamba Distr. (Platen e 6); Luwu, at the head of the 

 Gulf of Boni (Weber e 2); Moroneng, Gulf of Mandar, and Eiirekang, S. W. Centi-al 

 Celebes (P. & F. Sarasin e 8); Dongala, W. Celebes (Doherty f 4]. 



2. Hermotimia porphyrolaema scapulata M. &Wg. 



i. Hermotimia porphyrolaema scapulata (IJ M.&Wg., Abh. Mus. Dresd. 1896, Nr. 2, p. 16. 



Diagnosis. Differs from the typical H. jjorphyrolaema by having the greater part of the 

 scapulars, and the shorter middle wing-coverts, as well as the least series, metallic 

 steel-blue, uniform with the lower back. The black of the upper parts is more intense 

 and glossy, that of the under surface strongly washed with \iolet or blue. 



Distribution. East Celebes — Tonkean (Nat. Colh); ? S. E. Celebes — Kandari (Beccari 

 eIT)\ ?Togian Id. (Meyer f I, d 4). 



It was first remarked by Mr. Buttikofer that this Sun-bird is the southern 

 representative of H. grayi of the north of the island. The latter species may 

 be distinguished by the dark crimson, not black, of the mantle and breast, the 

 bases of the feathers being dusky, but black immediately next the crimson, 

 forming a bar. H. porphyrolaema is known to occur as far north as the Togian 

 Islands, where the specimen figured by Capt. Shelley was obtained by Meyer 

 in 1871; H. grayi has been recorded by Meyer from Togian in common with 

 the southern form, but we have since found out that this is an error. Shelley 

 remarks that the "Togian" H. porphyrolaema is a trifle larger (wing 63.5 mm) 

 than two specimens from Macassar, but does not differ in coloration, its measure- 

 ments, too, do not appreciably exceed those of Platen's largest specimens (6). 

 Probably the Togian birds will be found to stand very near those of E. Celebes 

 when known. 



H. porphyrolaema also has affinities with H. auriceps (Gray) of Sula and the 

 Moluccas, which differs chiefly in having the metallic throat uniform steel-blue- 

 black, not violet with a submalar stripe of steel-blue. A really closer relation- 

 ship exists between H. porphyrolaema and H. talautensis M. & Wg. of the Talaut 

 Islands, a form with a similar steel-blue submalar stripe, but with a much redder 



