308 BIRDS OF INDIA. 



posterior part of abdomen, and lower tail-coverts, dull pale olive- 

 green ; the rest of the tail black ; the greater wing-feathers very 

 slightly edged with olive-green. 



Bill black ; legs brown ; irides brown. Length 6 inches ; wing 

 2 1 ; tail 3^ ; bill at front | ; tarsus ^ ; ext. 7 ; weight I oz. 



The female is dull green above ; beneath, the same, with an ashy 

 tinge on the chin, throat and breast, flavescent on the vent and 

 under tail-coverts ; tail nearly square. 



This species, which deviates somewhat from the typical colours 

 of this genus, but has the lengthened tail-feathers, and a trace of 

 the yellow rump so conspicuous in the others, is found in the South- 

 east Himalayas, extending into Assam. I found it in Sikhim most 

 common from 3,000 to 5,000 feet of elevation. 



Gen. Leptocoma, Cabanis. 



Char. — ^Tail square or nearly so ; bill moderately curved. Mostly 

 of small size. 



This genus of Sun-birds forms a small group of very lovely 

 plumage ; the head brilliant green, the back maroon, the rump 

 glossed violet or green, and the throat puri)le. Two species with 

 the lower parts light yellow, are peculiar to India. 



232. Leptocoma Zeylonica, Lin. 



Certhia, apud Linn^us — Blyth, Cat. 1368 — Horsf., Cat. 

 1082 — Jardine, Nat. Libr., pL 20 — Cinn. sola, Vieillot, apud 

 JiiRDON, Cat. 234 — C. lepida, apud Sykes, Cat. 132. — 



The Amethyst-rumped Honey-sucker. 



Descr. — Head 'above and angle of the wing bright metallic 

 glossy green ; back, scapulars and wing coverts, deep maroon-red ; 

 wings dusky-brown, the quills edged with cinnamon-brown ; tail 

 black ; throat, neck, rump, and upper tail-coverts, fine metallic 

 amethystine-purple ; the rest of the body beneath, yellow, divided 

 from the amethyst of the neek by a narrow maroon bar ; bill and 

 legs black. 



Length 4i inches ; wing 2 j% ; tail 1 1 ; bill at front |-. 



The female is dull green above, with a slight tinge of rufous ; 

 the quills edged with pale brown ; the tail dusky-black ; under 



