CINNYEIS MINIMUS. 
(THE TINY SUN-BIRD.) 
Cinnyris minima, Sykes, P. Z. S. 1832, p. 99; Jerdon, Cat. B. S. India, Madr. Jonrn. 1840, 
xi. p. 226. 
Nectarinia minima (Sykes), Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. A. S, B. p. 226 (1849) ; Layard, Ann. & 
Mag. Nat. Hist. 1863, xii. p. 175. 
Nectarinia minuta, Jard. Mongr. Sun-birds, pp. 224, 265, fig. titlepage (1843). 
Nectarina minuta (errore), Kelaart, Prodromus, Cat. p. 119 (1852). 
NectaropMla mmma (Sykes), Walden, Ibis, 1870, p. 40; Holdsw. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 434. 
Leptocoma minima, Horsf. & Moore, Cat. B. Mus. E. I. Co. ii. p. 472 ; Jerdon, B. of Ind. 
i. p. 369 (1863) ; Hume, Nests and Eggs, i. p. 150 (1873) ; Fairbank, Str. Feath. 1876, 
p. 265 ; Bourdillon & Hume, t. c. p. 392. 
Cinnyris Shelley, Mongr. Cinnyr. pt. iv. (1877) ; Fairbank, Str. Feath. 1877, p. 398. 
The Tiny Honey sucker, Jerdon, B. of India. 
Adult male (Travancore). “Length 3-5 to 3-7 inches; wing 1'8 to U81, expanse 5-37 to 5'62; tail 1-0 to I’l ; 
tarsus 0'48 to 0’5.” (Hume.) 
Iris brown (light hazel, Fairbank); bill, legs, and feet black. 
Adult male. “ Forehead and crown metallic green ; loros, cheeks, and ear-coverts black ; back and sides of the neck, 
upper back, scapidars, and least and median series of wing-coverts dark red ; lower back, rump, and upper 
tail-coverts bright red, strongly glossed with steel-blue, making these parts in certain lights appear rich 
metallic lilac ; remainder of the wings and tail brownish black ; chin and throat metallic lilac ; crop and front of 
the chest dark red ; remainder of the breast, abdomen, thighs, and under tail-coverts yellowish white ; pectoral 
tufts sulphur-yellow; under wing-coverts and inner marguis of the quills w'hite.” (Shelley.) 
In non-breeding plumage Messrs. Hume and Davison state that the males assume the garb of the female, except that 
they “ retain invariably the amethjrstine-glossed rump, and usually a little red about the shoulder of the wing.” 
A male in this stage in Captain Shelley’s collection measures : — wing 1-9 inch ; tail 1-2 ; tarsus 0‘5 ; middle 
toe with its claw 0-4 ; bill across arc to tip 0-52. 
Head, hind neck, and interscapular region bi’ownish olive, brightest on the forehead and crown ; lower back, scapulars, 
tips of lesser wdng-coverts, and rump rich maroon-red ; upper tail-coverts the same, but brighter and illumined 
with metallic lilac ; wings deep browm ; tail black-brown ; beneath from the chin to the under tail-coverts 
primrose-yellow, with a dusky w^ash across the chest. 
Adidt female. Wing l’7o inch. 
Above with the wing-coverts olive-browm, like the male in non -breeding plumage ; wings dark brown ; the primaries 
edged pale ; rump and upper tail-coverts dull maroon-red ; tail blackish brown, edged with fulvous-brown ; 
beneath pale yellowish. 
Young male. “ Differs from the adult male in having the upper half of the head and neck olive, and the entire under- 
parts very pale yellow.” (Shelley.) 
Ohs. I quote the following interesting information from Messrs. Hume and Davison’s notes to Capt. Shelley 
respecting the change of the male to the non-breeding dress, and from which it will appear that the female attire 
is donned for a short time only : — “ About April some of the males begin to doff the brilliant nuptial plumage ; 
early in May some may be obtained in full non-breeding plumage ; but during May some may stUl be obtained in 
the nuptial garb. In June most of the birds have assumed the complete non-breeding dress ; but a few will still be 
found that have only partially moulted. After the first of July not a bird is to be seen in the nuptial dress. 
During September they begin to assume their wedding garb ; by the end of that month a good many males are 
in perfect plumage ; and by the middle of October every bird is in the gay nuptial attire.” 
