CINNYEIS HAKTLAUBI. 



(HARTLAUB'S SUN-BIRD.) 



Nectarinia hartlaubti, Verr. in Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 50, no. 143 (1857); Hartl. J. f. O. 

 1861, p. 109 ; Dohrn, P. Z. S. 1866, p. 326 ; Gray, Hand-1. B. i, p. 108, no. 1324 (1869) ; 

 Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 37, no. 346 (1871). 



d ad. supra olivaceus, plumis sub certa luce metallice viridi vix nitentibus : tectricibus alarum remigibusque 

 nigricanti-brunneis vis chalybeo adumbratis et olivaceo marginatis : tectricibus supracaudalibus rectri- 

 cibusque nigris, illis sordide viridi, his obscure chalybeo marginatis, exterioribus pallide brunueo intus 

 albicaute terminatis : facie laterali et colli lateribus dorso concoloribus, plumis loralibus chalybeo ter- 

 minatis : genis et gutture toto violascenti-chalybeis : corpore reliquo subtus olivascente, pectore summo 

 sordidiore : pectoris lateribus albis, hypochondriis lsetius flavis : subalaribus albis : remigibus infra 

 saturate brunneis, intus albo marginatis : rostro et pedibus nigris : iride saturate brunnea. 



$ ad. mari similis, sed gutture olivaceo distinguenda. 



Hab. in insula " principis " dicta Africfe occidentalis. 



Adult Male. Upper parts, as well as the sides of the head and neck, olive ; a few of the feathers on the sides 

 of the forehead tipped with deep metallic blue ; upper tail-coverts and tail black, the edges of the 

 feathers glossed with deep metallic bluish green, and with pale ends to the tail-feathers, broadest 

 towards the outer ones; wings dark brown with olive edges to the feathers; chin and throat deep 

 metallic violet-shaded blue ; under surface of the body and the under tail-coverts yellowish olive, fading 

 almost into white on the sides of the chest; under surface of the wings brown with the inner margins 

 of the quills and the coverts white; bill and legs black; irides dark brown. Total length 5 - 6 inches, 

 culmen - 8, wing 2'5, tail 2 - 3, tarsus 085. 



Adult Female. Similar in plumage to the male, excepting that the throat is olive, palest towards the chin. 

 Total length 4'7 inches, culmen 0'7, wing 2'3, tail 2 - 0, tarsus 0"8. 



Hab. Prince's Island, on the west coast of Africa. 



Hartlaub's Sun-bird belongs to the " olive " group, and may be distinguished from its allies by 

 the metallic portion of its plumage being confined to the throat, and by the sides of the chest 

 being almost white. Its nearest allies are the Seychelles bird, 0. clussumieri, which is of a more 

 dusky shade and has orange-red pectoral tufts, and the West-African C. cyanolcema, which is 

 browner and possesses a metallic-coloured crown. 



The species is, we believe, confined to Prince's Island, where my artist, Mr. Keulemans, had 

 many opportunities of observing it; and he kindly informs me that "it is tolerably abundant 

 throughout the island,, with the exception of the dense woods, where it is replaced by C. obscurus. 

 It is most common on the plains where bushes and bananas occur ; but as Princes' Island is 

 thickly covered with verdure, it would be difficult to say where this Sun-bird is most abundant. 



