CINNYEIS ASIATICUS. 



(THE PURPLE SUN-BIRD.) 



Certhia asiatica, Lath. Ind. Orn. i. p. 288 (1790). 



Cinnyris asiaticus (Lath.), Lesson, Man. d'Orn. p. 36 (1828) ; Shelley, Monogr. Cinnyr. pt. iv. 



(1877) ; Fairbank, Str. Feath. 1877, p. 399. 

 Cinnyris mahrattensis (Lath.), Jerd. Cat. B. S. Ind., Madr. Journ. 1840, xi. p. 224. 

 Nectarinia mahrattensis (Lath.), Jard. Monogr. Sun-birds, pp. 222, 264, pi. 24 (1843); Kelaart 



(Nectarina errore), Prodromus, Cat. p. 49 (1852). 

 Nectarinia asiatica (Lath.), Blytb, Cat. B. Mus. A. S. B. p. 224 (1849) ; Layard, Ann. & Mag. 



Nat. Hist. 1853, xii. p. 175; Gould, B. of Asia, pt. viii. pi. 2 (1856). 

 Arachnechthra asiatica (Lath.), Jerdon, B. of Ind. i. p. 370 (1863); Walden, Ibis, 1870, p. 20 ; 



Holdsw. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 434 ; Hume, Nests and Eggs, p. 151 (1873); id. Str. Feath. 



1873, p. 174 ; Ball, Str. Feath. 1874, p. 396 ; Legge, Ibis, 1875, p. 285 ; Morgan, torn. 



cit. p. 315 ; Hume, Str. Feath. 1875, p. 87; Fairbank, ibid. 1876, p. 256; Armstrong, 



torn. cit. p. 313; Hume, Str. Feath. 1878, B. of Tenass. p. 190. 

 Arachnechthra intermedia, Hume, Ibis, 1870, p. 436. 

 Nectarinia brevirostris, Blanf. Ibis, 1873, p. 86. 

 Purple Indian Creeper, Edwards; The Yellow-winged Creeper; Sugar-Creeper, Mahratta 



Creeper, Eastern Creeper, Latham ; The Short-billed Purple Honey-bird, Kelaart ; The 



Purple Iloneysucker of some ; Purple Humming-bird, Europeans in Ceylon. Jugi-jugi 



at Bhagalpur; Dunbarg in Sindh, Blyth. 

 Gt wal kurulla, Sinhalese ; Tahn-kudi, Ceylonese Tamils. 



Adult mill:. Length to forehead 3 - 7 inches ; bill along culmen 0-73 to 0'77 ; wing 2-2 to 2-3 ; tail 1*4 : tarsus 0-55 ; 



middle toe and claw 0-5. 

 Iris deep brown : bill, legs, and feet black. 



Breeding plumage. Head, back, scapulars, lesser wing-coverts, upper tail-coverts, and the sides of the neck and throat 

 brilliant metallic green, glossed on the back and upper tail-coverts with purple, the basal portion of the feathers 

 on all these parts being black, and the metallic hue confined to the terminal parts : wings dark brown, the greater 

 coverts and secondaries edged with purple; tail black, glossed with purple, and the feathers edged towards the 

 base with green ; chin, centre of throat, and chest lUac-purple, glossed with green, and changing into metallic blue on 

 the chest ; across the breast a narrow dull maroon band ; beneath this to the under tail-coverts black, glossed with 

 purple, which is glossed in some lights with green ; under tail-coverts broadly margined with purple ; on the 

 sides of the breast, concealed beneath the closed wing, a bright yellow tuft, streaked with orange-red. 



Jn I hose specimens which have come under my notice in Ceylon the maroon pectoral band has always been present, 

 but, as I have not examined a large series, it may be absent in some birds. Captain Shelley says that he has found 

 it thus in about half the examples he has seen, irrespective of locality. 



Non-breeding />!tnit<<i/i\ Head, back, scapulars, and upper tail-coverts mouse-grey, with a short yellowish-white 

 supereilimu : wing black, the lesser coverts edged with metallic green, the greater series and the inner secondaries 

 with purple ; tail black, edged with metallic green; under surface variable, in some rather bright yellow, in others 

 whitish tinged only with yellowish ; a broad stripe of purple from the chin down the fore neck and breast ; thighs 

 dark brown. 



This plumage in Ceylon is acquired in November and December in the Western Province ; and, while in a state of 

 moult, specimens are procured with both upper and under surface mingled with summer and winter feathers ; the 

 broad throat-stripe becomes clearly defined before the breast loses the metallic feathers. 



