326 
BIRDS OF BRITISH BURMAH. 
308. ANTHREPTES SINGALENSIS. 
THE RUBY-CHEEKED SUN-BIRD. 
Motacilla singalensis, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 964. Nectarinia phoenicotis, Temm. 
PI Col. 108. f. 1, 388. f. 2. Clialcoparia singalensis, Wald. Ibis, 1870, p. 48 ; 
Salvad. TJcc. Born. p. 180 ; Hume 8f Dav. S. F. vi. p. 189 ; Hume, S. F. viii. 
p. 90. Chalcoparia pliaenicotis, Bl. B. Burm. p. 142. Chalcoparia cinga- 
lensis, Hume, S. F. iii. p. 86 ; Armstrong, S. F. iv. p. 313 ; Anders. Yunnan 
Exped. p. 663. Chalcoparia phoenicotis, Oates, S. F. v. p. 147. Anthreptes 
phoenicotis, Shelley, Mon. Nect. pp. xlv, 325, pi. 105 ; Oates, 8. F. x. p. 197. 
Description. — Male. The whole upper plumage and lesser wing-coverts 
brilliant metallic emerald-green ; lores blackish ; cheeks and ear-coverts 
rich copper- colour J bordered below by a line of rich metallic violet-purple j 
chin^ throat and breast ferruginous buff ; abdomen_, sides of the body, vent 
and under tail-coverts yellow ; tail black, edged externally with metallic 
green ; under wing-coverts pale yellow ; greater wing-coverts black, edged 
wdth metallic green ; wings black, edged more or less with purple. 
The female has all the lower plumage like the male ; the upper plumage 
and the lesser wing-coverts olive-green ; ear-coverts and cheeks slate- 
colour ; greater wing-coverts and wings dark brown, edged with yellowish 
green ; tail brown, broadly edged with yellowish green. 
The young are like the female. 
Bill black ; gape orange-yellow ; mouth yellow ; iris lake-red ; legs 
yellowish green ; claws yellowish horny ; eyelids greenish. 
Length 4'4 inches, tail 1*6, wing 2'1, tarsus '65, bill from gape *6. The 
female is a trifle smaller. 
The Ruby-cheeked Sun-bird is spread over the whole of Burmah. Both 
Mr. Blyth and Mr. Hume record it from Arrakan. I found it common in 
most parts of Pegu ; but I did not observe it at Thayetmyo and Prome. 
It probably occurs there, however, as Capt. Wardlaw Ramsay procured it at 
Tonghoo, the character of the country round this town being similar 
to that of the Thayetmyo and Prome districts. Mr. Davison states that 
it is found throughout Tenasserim, not, however, ascending the hills. 
To the north of Burmah it has been found in the Indo- Burmese 
countries, extending through the hill-tracts of Eastern Bengal to the 
Bhootan Doars. To the south, it ranges down the Malay peninsula 
to the islands of Sumatra, Java and Borneo. 
The habits of this Sun-bird difl'er somewhat from those of the other 
species. Generally, except when breeding, it is found in small troops 
traversing the low bushes with a low twitter and searching the leaves for 
minute insects. At other times it frequents flowering trees and shrubs and 
parasitic plants, and is found in gardens as frequently as in the jungles. 
