228 CREEPER. 



extracting honey. — The above account was given to me by Dr. 

 Buchanan, and the description probably is that of the complete bird, 

 branching out into numerous varieties, arising from sex or age. The 

 male differs from that of Brisson, as well as the one in Gen. Syn. 

 p. 71 2, in not having the breast violet, and the back not being olive ; 

 but I have been informed that they vary exceedingly. 



Var. 1, a male, in the collection of Sir J. Anstruther, has the 

 crown green ; sides of the head, and neck deep purple ; over the eye 

 a reddish trace ; chin and throat mixed with red, and glossy ; the 

 uppermost part of the back reddish chestnut, the middle and wings 

 brown, lower part and rump pale reddish purple, lesser wing coverts 

 green ; all beneath from the breast yellow ; tail blackish brown. 



Var. 2, in the same collection, was purplish brown above, 

 head and neck mixed with glossy green ; shoulders of the wings 

 green ; all beneath from the breast yellow ; in this last drawing were 

 the two sexes, which seemed chiefly to differ only in point of bright- 

 ness of plumage. 



The nest suspended from the extreme branch of a tree, is almost of 

 a globular shape, with a neck above, somewhat like an alembic, and 

 composed of fine fibres, with a round hole of entrance on one side, 

 nearer the bottom than the middle. 



A bird, sent as a female, was pale brown above, and pale yellow 

 beneath, growing almost white at the vent ; wings and tail black ; 

 shoulders blue ; down the middle, from chin to breast, an irregular 

 dusky streak. This, if not the other sex, is probably a young and 

 immature bird. 



I have likewise observed one called Sukker Khorah, in which 

 the plumage was red brown; wings and tail deep brown ; shoulders 

 of the wings red brown; crown of the head, sides, and throat dull 

 green, beneath from the breast yellow. This is in the same drawing 

 with another, and called the female ; the male wholly purple, glossed 

 with green, and brilliant, with two large tufts of yellow on each side 

 of the breast, beneath the wings. 



