

dark brown, fading into pale brown on the remainder of the wings, upper tail-coverts, and tail ; fore- 

 head and crown metallic golden-green; chin and upper portion of the throat metallic olive-green, 

 flanked on the sides with broad cheek-bands of metallic golden-green, of greater extent than in C. acik 

 or C. gutturalis ; remainder of the throat and the front of the chest bright vermilion, with a narrow 

 metallic bluish green subterminal bar to each feather; remainder of the body blackish brown, rather 

 paler towards the under tail-coverts ; undersurface of wing bronzy brown, with the coverts darker ; bill 

 and legs black ; irides dark brown. Total length 5 inches, culmen 0'9, wing 2 - 6, tail l - 9, tarsus 0"6. 



Adult Female. Upper parts brown ; sides of the head and neck of the same colour ; wings and tail bronzy 

 brown; the wing-feathers with pale edges, becoming white along the bend of the wing and on the 

 primary-coverts ; the tail-feathers with narrow pale ends ; uuderparts buff, very strongly mottled with 

 dark brown on the throat ; the centres of some of the chest-feathers and of the under tail-coverts dark 

 brown; flanks strongly shaded with brown; under surface of the wings dark brown, with the inner 

 margins of the quills and the coverts buff, the latter slightly shaded with yellow, and mottled with 

 dark brown ; bill and legs black ; irides dark brown. Total length 4'6 inches, culmen 0'85, wing 245, 

 tail 1-7, tarsus 0-65. 



Young Male. Similar in plumage to the female, excepting that the underparts are shaded with yellow ; chin 

 and throat black ; chest and flanks more distinctly mottled with black instead of brown. 



Hab. West Africa. 



The chief characters which distinguish the present species are the pale-brown colour of the 

 wings and tail, the strong green shade on the subterminal metallic bars of the red feathers, and 

 the absence of metallic colours on the least series of wing-coverts. By this last character, as 

 well as by the golden-green shade of the crown, it approaches most nearly to C. acik, but is 

 distinguished from that bird by the other characters above mentioned. 



Although a well-known species to the older writers, who, however, often confounded it 

 with the South-African C. gutturalis, absolutely nothing has been recorded upon its habits ; and 

 in the numerous references to this species we only find the mere localities mentioned whence 

 specimens have been sent home. In several cases these localities are probably incorrect, even 

 when they do not properly refer to C. gutturalis — for instance, as regards its occurrence in Prince's 

 Island and on the Gold Coast. With regard to the former locality, Dr. Dohrn writes: — " I am 

 sure that Nectarinia splendida and N. senegalensis, though entered by Erman, do not occur in 

 Prince's Island." Dr. Hartlaub mentions a specimen, in the Bremen Museum, said to be from 

 the Gold Coast : this we believe to be incorrect as regards locality ; for no other authority for its 

 occurrence there is to be found ; and Governor Ussher, who from his long residence in that 

 country, and from the large collection made by him there, is certainly our chief authority on 

 its ornithology, never once saw this species ; nor did Mr. Buckley, myself, or Mr. Blissett ever 

 meet with it there. In fact, I know of no reliable instance of its capture south of Sierra Leone, 

 although I possess a specimen originally labelled as coming from the Gaboon ; but it rests only 

 on a dealer's authority, and is of no value, especially as it bears no collector's ticket. 



It has been recorded by Bocage from Goree, a small island off Cape Verd. Marche and 

 De Compicgne collected it in Senegambia, at Haun, Daranka, and Sedhion. In the Marquis of 

 Tweeddale's collection I have examined specimens from Cape Verd, Daranka, St. Marie, and 

 Casarnanze. In Mr. Sharpe's collection there were specimens from Senegal, and the ones here 

 figured and described from the Gambia, Casarnanze, and Bissao. 



