" As to distribution I need only say that it extends far into the Himalayas, that I have 

 obtained it in the valley of the Beas almost at the foot of the Rohung pass, in the valley of the 

 Sutlej as far as Chini, in the valley of the Ganges, or rather Bhagirati, to within four or five 

 marches of Gangaotri ; but eastward of this I do not remember observing it at any great distance 

 from the plains. Westward, if I am correct in uniting A. brevirostris, it extends to the borders 

 of Persia. Eastward it is found far up in the valley of Assam, and thence extends through the 

 Burmese countries and British Burmah to Arracan, Pegu, and the northern and central portions 

 of Tenasserim ; but the River Ye appears to be here its absolute southern boundary, beyond 

 which we have never observed a single specimen." 



In Ceylon, according to Captain Vincent Legge, it is abundant in the maritime districts and 

 low jungles of Wellaway Korle, especially in the dry shrubby parts; and Mr. Holdsworth 

 observes (I.e.), "very abundant at all seasons at Aripo. At a Government rest-house in the 

 extreme south of the island, where I was staying in August 1869, a pair of these birds had a 

 nest in the verandah ; it was fastened to the end of an iron rod hanging from the roof, and once 

 used for suspending a lamp. The birds showed very little fear, although I was for several days 

 sitting within a few feet of the nest engaged in the preparation of specimens. I have obtained 

 this species at Nuwara Eliya in October." 



From the Laccadive Islands, off the west coast of Southern India, it has been recorded by 

 Mr. Hume (Str. F. 1876, p. 458). As regards Southern India (in the same volume, p. 393), 

 Mr. F. W. Bourdillon, in his notes on the birds of the Travancore hills, observes : — " This 

 species occurs abundantly in the open jungle near the foot of the hills; it is very active, and 

 keeps up an incessant chirping throughout the hottest part of the day, when nearly all other 

 birds, except the Crimson-throated Barbet, are silent." We may add that the Certhia nitens of 

 Hermann was founded on an adult male from Tranquebar. 



According to Dr. Jerdon (Madras Journ. xi. p. 224), " this appears to be the most generally 

 distributed of all the Cinnyridae, and is the only one I have met with on the bare tableland. In 

 the Carnatic it is less numerous, I think, than C. zeylonicus and C. lotenius. The Purple Honey- 

 sucker has a very feeble, but sweet, chirping note. It feeds, like others of the genus, partly on 

 the honey extracted from flowers and partly on minute insects, flies, cicadariee, &c. It occa- 

 sionally hovers on the wing before a flower while extracting the honey, but generally hops, or 

 flies rather, among the smaller twigs. Occasionally I have seen it snap at an insect in the air. 

 Whilst feeding it frequently opens and closes its wings. I have seen this bird on the very top of 

 the Neilgherries, which shows what a great amount of cold some of this tropical genus will suffer 

 without inconvenience." 



Mr. Morgan informs us (I. c.) that it breeds in the Neilgherries up to an elevation of 

 6000 feet, as well as in the plains, from February to June, the majority of the nests being con- 

 structed in March and April. According to Major Bulger (I. c.) it is a common bird in the 

 Neilgherries, at. Wellington, constantly about the gardens, where its feeble little song may be 

 frequently heard. The Rev. S. B. Fairbank (/. c.) records it as abundant in the vicinity of 

 Khandala, about forty miles south-east of Bombay. 



Mr. Leith Adams (P. Z. S. 1858, p. 497) found it to be common in the Deccan, Sindh, 

 Punjab, and lower Himalayan ranges; and, according to his notes, "the song resembles that of 



