1843.] Mr. BlytKs Report for December Meeting, 1842. 971 



India," writes Sir W. Jardine, "closely allied to N. Goalpariensis, 

 and also to the Certhia Siparaja of Sir Stamford Raffles's catalogue. 

 From the Goalpara Sun-bird it differs in a slight general modification 

 of the tints of the plumage, in the yellow of the rump being much deeper, 

 and in the coronal patch, upper tail-coverts, and tail, being steel-blue 

 instead of metallic green, and in the tail being shorter and more regularly 

 graduated. Sir Stamford's bird is from Sumatra ; no mention is made 

 of the yellow rump, while, in the catalogue appended to that gentle- 

 man's memoirs, N. mysticalis, Tern., from Java, is quoted. A com- 

 parison of the birds may serve to distinguish them. The entire length 

 is four inches and two-fifths ; that of the bill to the forehead three- 

 fifths of an inch. \_N. Seherice ? Tickell.] Above the forehead to 

 the line of the eyes is steel-blue, with a play of colour ; the upper tail- 

 coverts and edges of the tail-feathers, except the outer, are of the 

 same tint, and the tail itself, which is nearly black, has a very strong 

 gloss of bluish-purple ; the back and sides of the neck, cheeks, back, and 

 lesser wing-coverts, are rich brownish-red : the lower part of the back 

 and rump are very deep gamboge-yellow, almost Dutch orange, and fol- 

 lowing the red of the back we have the same lengthened plumes we 

 saw in the last, of a dark greyish oil-green, and which can completely 

 cover the yellow patch; the wings are umbre-brown, feathers edged 

 with a paler tint and oil-green. Underneath, we have the maxillary 

 stripes running upon the sides of the neck, inside-half of the feathers 

 black, the exterior rich violet, the chin, fore- part of the neck and 

 breast, bright, scarlet-red ; the remaining under-parts dull greyish oil- 

 green. Bill umbre-brown, slightly paler on the maxilla. 



" As stated, we do not know the locality of the specimen we have 

 described, and in the collection of the Zoological Society there is one 

 similar, and bearing out the distinctions from N. Goalpariensis we 

 have pointed out, but the locality of which is also unknown." 



On comparison of this description with several specimens of N. 

 Goalpariensis, I am constrained to doubt very much the distinctness 

 of N. Lathami, and would suggest that it is perhaps a female Goalpa- 

 riensis in masculine attire. There is indeed generally a greater or 

 less admixture of steel-blue, with the glossy bottle-green of the cap and 

 sometimes the upper tail-coverts of the latter, and still more upon the 

 tail itself, as noticed in my description. 



