Mr. Andersson; and it has also been collected in the Karroo by Victorin, and at Grahamstown by 

 Atmore. 



During my travels in South Africa I had frequent opportunities of watching these birds in 

 Cape colony, at Mossel Bay, and at Port Elizabeth. They frequent the flowering bushes which 

 grow so luxuriantly in the sandy African soil, both on the plains and on the mountains, but are 

 rarely met with in the wooded districts. 



"While in the neighbourhood of the Cape scarcely a day passed without my seeing these lovely 

 birds clinging on to the large flowers, fluttering and twittering with pleasure as they sucked the 

 sweet nectar or captured the small insects embedded in the blossoms. Although frequently 

 collected in considerable numbers around the more attractive plants, they are not gregarious, but 

 only meet from their mutual wants attracting them to the same bushes, which frequently results 

 in one (of a more quarrelsome or playful disposition) chasing his neighbour from the flowering 

 plants where they have met. The pursuer and pursued fly swiftly and low over the ground, 

 darting rapidly round the bushes, disappearing for a moment, and then reappearing again on the 

 topmost twigs of two neighbouring shrubs, when, after a brief rest, they dart off again in their 

 lively play, the rich green plumage flashing in the sunshine as they glance over the dull sandy 

 soil, or flutter round the large crimson flowers of the South-African bushes, or hang about the 

 clustered blossoms of the tall aloes. 



Levaillant, in his ' Oiseaux d'Afrique,' is the first traveller who gives us any account of this 

 bird, of which he writes that when the breeding-season has passed, and the young have left the 

 nest, the male throws off its brilliant livery. The bright plumes are dropped by degrees, and are 

 replaced by the dull garb for the winter season. It not only loses its metallic plumes, but even 

 the two long tail-feathers are replaced by shorter ones. The young male on leaving the nest is 

 similar in plumage to the female, but in its first moult it assumes the winter livery of the adult 

 male. After his second moult in the spring he selects his mate, with whom he remains 

 throughout the year. This portion of his observations appears to me to be very accurate ; for 

 in all the species of Nectarinia and Cinnyris which I have seen in life, the moult appears to be 

 very gradual, and takes a very considerable time to complete ; and during this period of moult 

 they are frequently paired. 



Mr. Layard (B. S. Afr. p. 77) observes of this species : — " Common throughout the colony. 

 It is very partial to the blossoms of the Aloe, among which it finds an abundance of its insect 

 food. I have found it plentiful up the ravines of Table Mountain, extending even to the top. 

 It has a shrill, not unpleasing, but short song, and when pursuing a rival utters a piercing 

 scream. It is very combative ; and if two males meet about the same bush a fight is sure to 

 ensue, to the great detriment of the beautiful tail-feathers. The males lose their beauty in the 

 winter season; and the young birds are just like the females. Eggs, reported to be those of this 

 species, have been given me ; they are of a dull greyish brown colour, minutely mottled all over. 

 They were said to have been taken from a domed nest, suspended from the end of a twig. Since 

 this was written (1865) I have found several nests containing eggs, and can confirm the account 

 given by my correspondent. The eggs are — axis 10'", diam. 6'". It abounds on the Cape flats 

 during the flowering of the Protea." 



In Mr. Gurney's edition of Andersson's work we find the following extracts from the 



c2 



