THE BURMESE YELLOW-BACKED SUN-BIRD. 313 
Section OSCINES TENUIROSTRES. 
Family NECTARINIIDiE. 
Subfamily NECTARINIIN^. 
Genus ^THOPYGA, Cahanis, 
297. ^THOPYGA SANGUINIPECTUS. 
THE BURMESE YELLOW-BACKED SUN-BIRD. 
JEthopyga sanguinipectus, Wald. Ann. Nat. Hist. ser. 4, xv. p. 400 ; Hume, S. F. 
iii. p. 402 ; Wald. in Bl. B. Burnt, p. 142 ; Hu7ne 8f Bav. 8. F. \\. p. 182 ; 
Hume, S. F. viii. p. 89 ; Shelley , Mon. Nect. p. 37^ pi. 12. .ffithopyga waldeni, 
Hume, 8. F. v. p. 51. 
Description. — Male. Forehead_, crown^ nape and the hind neck purplish 
steel-blue ; sides of the head dull black ; sides of the neck^ back and 
the shorter scapulars red; lesser wing-coverts^ the longer scapulars 
and a band on the back below and next to the red deep black ; next this 
black band another yellow one ; remainder of the rump^ upper tail- coverts 
and the basal three quarters of the central tail-feathers steel-blue ; re- 
mainder of the taib the median and greater wing-coverts and the quills 
blackish brown ; chin black ; throat purplish steel-blue ; upper breast 
blacky the lateral feathers tipped with red ; remainder of the lower 
plumage pale yellow^ the breast streaked with scarlet ; under wing-coverts 
and axillaries yellowish white. 
The female is thus described by Capt. Shelley : — Upper half of the 
head and back of the neck olive -shaded ashy brown^ with the centres of 
the feathers rather darker ; back^ scapulars^ least and median series of 
wing-coverts_, and the upper tail-coverts olive-green ; remainder of the 
wings dark brown^ with the greater series of coverts and the quills broadly 
edged with yellowish olive ; across the lower back a band of very pale 
olive-tinted yellow ; tail brownish black;, the feathers edged with olive and 
most of them with whitish tips, broadest on the outer ones ; on the sides 
of the head a small black patch in front of the eyes, beneath which is a 
nearly white loral band ; chin and throat pale dusky olive ; chest more 
olive ; lower breast, abdomen and under tail-coverts very pale olive-yellow ; 
thighs brown ; flanks nearly white ; under surface of the wings dark brown, 
with the inner margins of the quills and the coverts white, the latter tinted 
with yellow on the edge of the wing.^^ 
Legs and feet very dark reddish or purplish brown ; bill black ; irides 
very deep brown. [Davison.) 
