4C6 
Birds of Celebes; Kectariniidae. 
throat down to the breast white; remaining under-parts yellow; lesser 
under wing-coverts at the edge of the wing yellow, the others white. The 
malar str^^e and the middle tail-feathers stcel-hlue as in the adult; also two new 
golden green feathers of maturity in the cap (after W. Blasius e G). 
Female. Much like the young male, without the last-mentioned characters. Upper half 
of head and back of neck a.shy grey; hack, scapulars and least wing-coverts 
olive [yellow-olive]; remainder of wings dark Imown, with all the feathers broadly 
edged with olive, on the quills yellower; tail black, the feathers mostly tipped with 
white, most broadly so on the outer ones; chin and throat white; breast, abdomen 
and under tail-coverts sulphur-yellow; quills below brown, their inner margins 
and the under wing-coverts white, the latter partially washed with pale yellow 
(after Shelley e I). 
Measurements (.5 adult males). Wing 58.5 — G3 mm; tail 36—40.5; culmen 15.5 — 17.5; tarsus 
14 (W. Bias, e 6"). 
Distribution. S. and W. Celebes; — Macassar (S. Muller al, Wallace b 1, f 1, Meyer d 4, 
Platen e 6, Weber e 2, etc.); Tjamba Distr. (Platen e 6)\ Luwu, at the head of the 
Gulf of Boni (Weber e 2); Moroneng, Gulf of Mandar, and Enrekang, S. W. Central 
Celebes (P. & F. Sarasin eS); Dongala, AV. Celebes (Doherty f 4). 
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2. Hermotimia porphyrolaema scapulata M. tScWg. 
i. Hermotimia porphyrolaema scapulata (1) M.&AFg., Abh. Mus. Dresd. 1896, Nr. 2, p. 16. 
Diagnosis. Differs from the typical 77. porphyrolaema by having the greater part of the 
scapulars, and the shorter middle wing-coverts, as well as the least series, metallic 
steel-blue, unifom with the lower back. The black of the upper parts is more intense 
and glossy, that of the under surface strongly washed with violet or blue. 
Distribution. East Celebes — Tonkean (Nat. Coll.); ? 8. E. Celebes — Kandari (Beccari 
e Il)\ ?Togian Id. (Meyer f I, d 4). 
It was first remarked by Mr. Biittikofer that this Sun-bird is the southern 
representative of II. grayi of the north of the island. T'he latter species may 
be distinguished by the dark crimson, not black, of the mantle and breast, the 
bases of the feathers being dusky, but black immediately next the crimson, 
forming a bar. H. porphyrolaema is knowm to occur as far north as the Togian 
Islands, where the specimen figured by (’apt. Shelley was obtained by Meyer 
in 1871; II. grayi has been recorded by Meyer from Togian in common with 
the southern form, but we have since found out that this is an error. Shellev 
remarks that the “logian” H. porphyrolaema is a trifle larger (wing 63.5 mm) 
than two specimens from Macassar, but does not differ in coloration, its measure- 
ments, too, do not appreciably exceed those of Platen’s largest specimens (6). 
Probably the Togian birds will be found to stand very near those of E. Celebes 
when known. 
H. porphyrolaema also has affinities with 77. auriceps (Gray) of Sula and the 
Moluccas, which differs chiefly in ha.ving the metallic throat uniform steel-blue- 
black, not violet with a submalar stripe of steel-blue. A really closer relation- 
ship exists between H. porphyrolaema and H. talautensis M.&Wg. of the Talaut 
Islands, a form with a similar steel-blue submalar stripe, but with a much redder 
