179 
LITTLE BLUE-BANDED SUN-BIRD. 
Nectarinia collaris, Vieillot. 
PLATE VI. 
This pretty little Sun-bird, was met with by Le 
Vaillant in the vicinity of the Gamtoos, in troops of 
eight or nine birds, the amount of the broods. We 
have only received the males in miscellaneous col- 
lections from Southern Africa, where, by some of 
our correspondents, it is said to be rare ; but a spe- 
cimen of the female has been put in our possession 
by Dr. A. Smith, procured at the Cape, and agree- 
ing with the description of authors. In extreme 
length it is about four inches, some specimens 
slightly exceeding, while others do not reach it. 
The bill, to the forehead, is half an inch, becoming 
very slender towards the tip ; the upper parts, edges 
of the wing-coverts, and secondaries, a bright yel- 
lowish green, changing with every position; the 
wings umber-brown, edged with oil-green ; the 
chin, throat, and upper parts of the breast similar, 
but deeper in tint, shading into and terminating in 
a narrow band of rich blue, glossed with violet ; 
the remaining under parts are of a dull yellow, and 
in the axilhe there are tufts of pale primrose-yel- 
low. The tail, slightly rounded, is black glossed 
