1840.] 



of the Peninsula of Indict, 



I have lately (February) seen the nest of this pretty little bird close 

 to a house in Jaulnah. It was commenced on a thick spider's web^ 

 by attaching to it various fragments of paper, cloth, stravir, grass and 

 other substances, till it had secured a firm hold of the twig to which 

 the w€b adhered, and the nest suspended on this was then completed 

 by adding other fragments of the same materials. 



The hole is at one side, near the top, and has a slight projecting roof 

 «r awning over it. The female laid 2 eggs, of a greenish gray tinge, 

 spotted with dusky. The first nest it made was accidentally destroyed 

 after two eggs had been laid, and the couple immediately commenced 

 building another, in a small tree at the other side of the door, and, as 

 in the first instance, commenced their operations on a fragment of 

 spider's w eb. They reared two young ones from this nest. 



The Purple Honey -Sncker has a very feeble, but sweet, chirping note, 

 it feeds like others of the genus, partly on the honey extracted from 

 flowers, and partly on minute insects, flies, cicadarise, &c. It occasion- 

 ally hovers on fbe wina; before a flower, while extracting the honey, 

 but generally hops or flies rather among the smaller twigs. Occasion- 

 ally I have seen it snap at an insect in the air. Whilst feeding it fre- 

 quently opens and closes i(s wings. The C, currucaria is certainly 

 the young male of this bird, the outline and structure are the same, and 

 in Jaulnah it is of frequent occurrence, no other species of Cinnyris 

 but the purpuratus being found here : besides I have specimens in 

 which the change to the adult plumage is nearly completed. I shal^ 

 add a very brief description to show its difference from the next species. 



Plumage above, of a gh)ssy steel blue ; beneath glossy purple ; quills 

 and tail black ; plume of orange and yellow feather under the wing ; 

 bill and legs black. Length 4^ inches ; wing 2.j\ths; taill-|,- tarsus 

 ^^ths; bill straight to front y'^^ths. 



Female, above greenish brown grey ; beneath pale yellow i darkest on 

 the throat ; tail black ; quills dusky. 



I have seen this bird on the very top of the Neilgherries, which shews 

 what a great degree of cold some of this tropical genus will suffer with- 

 out inconvenience. 



233.--C. ;>o/i<a. — Certh. polita, Lath.— Ois. Dor. pi., II— Cerfh. fal" 

 ealttt Lath. ? — Cerlh. purpurata, Lath. ? — Glossy green Hoiiey'Suckeu 



I have seen this very handsom^e bird in the Carnatic and west coast, 

 where it is tolerably common^ frequenting both gardens and jung^les. 

 Food and habits of the last, ! 



