AFES. 351 



Family NECTAEINID.E. 



107. Nectarinia habessinica, Hemp, and Ehr. 



Symb. Phys., Aves, Taf. IV.— Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 112. 



Ferr. et GaL No. 175 and 176.— Brebm, Habesch, No. 40.— Heugl. 



Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 229. 

 Cinnyris gularis, Kiipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 88, t. xxxi. f. 2 (the young 



bird).— Syst. Uebers. No. 111. 



Very common near the coast, and, up to about 4,000 

 feet above the sea, in the passes leading to the highlands. 

 In January and February many birds were ia the 

 plumage described by EtippeU as N. gularis. Others, 

 however, were in the fuU plumage, and it is not quite 

 clear whether the gularis plumage is assumed by aU 

 males after the breeding season or whether it is only the 

 livery of the first year. I am strongly incHned to the 

 latter opinion. The nest, figured by Ehrenberg, and 

 which I also found, is very similar to that of Nectarinia 

 asiatica. 



That N. gularis is identical with iV. habessinica cannot, 

 I think, admit of a doubt. I only saw the former in 

 places where the latter also occurred. I shot two or three 

 specimens when trying to obtain females (always more 

 difficult to see and procure than the males), and one 

 specimen which I shot was moulting and in intermediate 

 plumage. 



108. N. affinis, Eiipp. 



Eupp. Neu. Wirb. p. 87, t. xxxi. f. 1 ; et Syst. Uebers. No. 110.— 

 Ferr. et Gal. No. 177. — Lefebvre, p. 87. — Brehm, Habesch, 

 No. 41.— Heugl. Orn. N. 0. Afr. p. 232. 



This replaces N. habessinica above 3,500 to 4,000 feet 

 and extends upwards into the temperate region. It 



