183 
NAMAQUA, OR WHITE-VENTED SUN-BIRD. 
Neclarinia fusca, Vieillot. 
PLATE VIII. 
Specimens of the male of this species have been 
furnished to us both by the Zoological Society of 
London and from the Fort Pitt Museum at Chat- 
ham. Le Vaillant met with it only in the country 
of the Great Namaqua, where he found it remain- 
ing during the whole year, and considered it as 
nearly confined to the bounds of that district ; the 
nest was discovered in the hollow trunks of trees, 
the eggs from four to five in number, and of a 
greyish colour. Specimens in our own collection 
were received many years since from Southern 
Africa by the attention of Dr. Smith, but the exact 
locality is not known. 
The crown, cheeks, neck and back, are of a pur- 
plish brown, having metallic reflections of purple, 
caused by the prolonged tips of the feathers being of 
that colour, or in some lights greenish ; the lower 
part of the back and rump clove-brown, and the 
upper tail-coverts steel-blue, without much reflec- 
tion ; the wings are dark clove-brown, approaching 
to umber-brown on the quills ; the tail is blackish 
