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VERREAUX’S SUN-BIRD. 
Nectarinia Verroxii , Smith. 
PLATE IX. 
The Zoological Society of London have permitted 
us to examine and describe both sexes of this spe- 
cies, placed in its collection, we believe, by Dr. 
Smith. The head, neck, shoulders and back, are of 
a dark bluish green with metallic lustre, but both 
in this and the preceding bird somewhat interrupted 
from the dark base of the feathers appearing, the 
fringe of the tips only being of the more brilliant 
colour. The lower part of the back, rump, and 
upper tail-covers, wings and tail, purplish brown, 
darkest on the tail, which, excepting the slightly 
shorter outside feathers, is square at the end. The 
lower parts, in the specimen before us, were pale 
hair-brown, slightly tinted with yellow on the chin 
and vent ; Dr. Smith describes them as yellowish 
grey, and his figure represents a very clear tint. 
The axillary tufts are here of a brilliant scarlet, and 
appear conspicuously. The female above is uni- 
formly brocoli-brown, darker on the wings and tail ; 
beneath of a paler tint of the same colour, tinged 
with greenish yellow, and approaching to yellowish 
grey on the vent and flanks. 
