Part 259

"Ten males average: Length, 111; wing, 46; tail, 46; culmen, 17; tarsus, 14; middle toe with claw, 12. Ten females, length, 87; wing, 43; tail, 29; culmen, 16; tarsus, 13; middle toe with claw, 12. Calamianes birds are very slightly smaller, but are otherwise identical. Shot at a height of 760 meters on Mount Pulgar in Palawan, where it was abundant." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

656. ÆTHOPYGA BELLA Tweeddale.

TWEEDDALE'S SUNBIRD.

Æthopyga bella Tweeddale, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (1877), 20, 537: Shelley, Monogr. Nectarin. (1879), pts. 9 & 10, 77, pl. 25; Gadow, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1884), 9, 29; Grant, Ibis (1897), 236; Grant and Whitehead, Ibis (1898), 242 (eggs); Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 229 (nest); McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 98.

Mindanao (Everett, Celestino); Samar (Steere Exp., Whitehead).

"Male.--Chin, throat, breast, and uropygium bright sulphur-yellow; forehead, vertex, minor carpal coverts, upper tail-coverts, and upper surface of rectrices dark metallic green; occiput, nape, and wing-coverts dark olive; cheeks, lores, behind the eye, sides of head and neck, interscapulars, and back deep blood-red; quills almost black, margined with dark olive; abdomen, flanks, vent, under tail-coverts, and under wing-coverts silky white, more or less tinged with pale yellow, especially on the mesial line, under tail-coverts, and carpal edge; a few blood-red feathers on the upper breast; a metallic violet spot on side of head; a narrow line of deep blood-red runs along the rami of the mandible; a bold metallic moustache springs from the base of the mandible, and descends the sides of the neck; the upper half violet, the lower half green. Wing, 42.6; tail, 36.5; culmen, 13; tarsus, 13.

"Female.--Above, wing-coverts, and edgings to quills olive-green; uropygium bright sulphur-yellow as in the male; space before the eye, cheeks, ear-coverts, chin, throat, and upper breast gray, tinged with yellowish olive-green; lower breast, abdomen, flanks, and under tail-coverts white tinged with yellow; under wing-coverts white faintly tinged with yellow; quills and rectrices dark brown margined with olive; lateral rectrices tipped with albescent olive. Wing, 41; tail, 28; culmen, 13; tarsus, 13." (Tweeddale.)

Three fresh eggs of this sunbird collected by Whitehead near Paranas, Samar, July 19, 1895, are thus described: "Shape ovate. Ground-color pale pinkish white, a heavily, marked irregular zone of dull red toward the larger end, and some scattered spots and blotches of the same color over the rest of the shell, with here and there underlying brown markings. Measurements 14 mm. by 10 mm.

"The nest built by this sunbird differs considerably from that made by Æ. magnifica, being a long bag-shaped pocket, with a loose dangling tail of dead leaves. The entrance is at the side and roofed over, in fact very much like that constructed by the different species of Cinnyris. This nest was found dangling to a bramble in an old native clearing some distance from the forest. The female was obtained after much difficulty." (Grant and Whitehead.)

657. ÆTHOPYGA AROLASI Bourns and Worcester.

AROLAS'S SUNBIRD.

Æthopyga arolasi Bourns and Worcester, Minnesota Acad. Nat. Sci. Occ. Papers (1894), 1, 17; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 98.

Sulu (Bourns & Worcester); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester).

"Adult male.--Slightly larger than Æthopyga bella. Upper surface as in that species; fore breast much more broadly streaked with orange; abdomen and under tail-coverts light lemon-yellow, not white.

"Adult female.--Above uniform olive-green. Does not show the bright yellow rump of Æthopyga bella. Under surface inclining to white, but breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts washed with light lemon-yellow.

"Average measurements from ten males: Length, 87; culmen, 18; wing, 40; tail, 33; tarsus, 12. From four females: Length, 83; culmen, 16; wing, 40; tail, 25; tarsus, 12." (Bourns and Worcester.)

658. ÆTHOPYGA BONITA Bourns and Worcester.

VISAYAN SUNBIRD.

Æthopyga bonita Bourns and Worcester, Minnesota Acad. Nat. Sci. Occ. Papers (1894), 1, 17; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 98.

Cebu (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Negros (Celestino); Panay (Bourns & Worcester); Ticao (McGregor).

Male.--Very similar to the male of Æ. arolasi, but the yellow of throat, breast, and rump gamboge or dark lemon-yellow instead of lemon-yellow and the red streaks on breast more conspicuous. Iris dark brown; bill, legs, and nails black. A male from Cebu measures: Wing, 44; tail, 32.5; culmen from base, 17; bill from nostril, 14; tarsus, 14.

Female.--Similar to the female of Æ. arolasi, but the rump pale yellow and the under parts washed with light yellowish green very much as in the female of Æ. shelleyi. A female from Cebu, wing, 42; tail, 23; culmen from base, 17; bill from nostril, 13; tarsus, 13.

"Four males average: Length, 94; wing, 43; tail, 32; culmen, 18; tarsus, 14; middle toe with claw, 13. Three females, length, 89; wing, 40; tail, 24; culmen, 17; tarsus, 13; middle toe with claw, 12. Iris dark brown; bill, legs, feet, and nails black. Breeding in Cebu in the month of June." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

659. ÆTHOPYGA FLAVIPECTUS Grant.

GRANT'S SUNBIRD.

Æthopyga flavipectus Grant, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club (1894), 3, 49; Ibis (1895); 111, pl. 5, fig. 1; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 229 (habits); McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 98. Æthopyga minuta Bourns and Worcester, Minnesota Acad. Nat. Sci. Occ. Papers (1894), 1, 18.

Luzon (Whitehead, McGregor); Mindoro (Whitehead, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Polillo (McGregor).

Male.--Very similar to the male of Æ. bella and of Æ. bonita, but with very little or no red on the breast. Length, about 100; wing, 42; tail, 34; culmen from base, 16; bill from nostril, 12.5; tarsus, 12.