THE



Bvicultural iHbacjasme,


BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE


A VICULTURAL SOCIETY.



VOL. V. — No. 51. All rights reserved. JANUARY, 1899.



NOTE ON THE SEASONAL CHANGE OF PLUMAGE

IN THE MALES OF THE PURPLE HONEYSUCKER


(Arachnechthra asiatica)


AND OF AN ANALOGOUS AMERICAN BIRD


( Ccereba cyanea ].


By F. Finn, B.A., F.Z.S.,


Deputy Superintendent , Indian Museum.


Dr. Jerdon, in his “ Birds of India,” (Vol. I., p. 370) and

Captain Shelley, in his Monograph of the Cinnyridce, agree in

assigning to the male of our common Purple Honeysucker

(Arachnecthra asiatica ) (x) besides its characteristic dress, a


plumage much resembling that of the female, but marked with a

broad purple streak down the ventral surface. Dr. H. Gadow, how¬

ever,in the British Museum Catalogue volmne(IX.,p.58) dealing

with these birds, ignores this change of plumage ; and Mr. Oates,

in his “ Birds of British Burmah,” (Vol. I., p. 322) states that the

change does not take place in that country, “ for full-plumaged

males may be obtained all the year round.” He believes also

that the young males of this species are clothed in female

plumage all through their first winter, and thinks that the

abundance of such has probably given rise to the belief in a

change of plumage.


With all due deference to the opinion of so excellent an

ornithologist as Mr. Oates, I venture to suggest that he is

wrong, and that the authors previously cited are right, with

respect to this change of plumage, at any rate in Indian

examples.


In the first place, the presence of full-plumaged birds all

the year round is of very little weight in disproving this change.



(x) Called Cinnyris asiatica in the Cat. Birds Brit. Mus.—E d.



