NECTARINIA VIGORSII.
Vigors’ Sun-Bird.

Cinnyris Vigorsii, Sykes in Proc. of Comm. Sci. of Zool. Soc., Part II. p. 98, male.
———— concolor, Sykes in Ib., p. 99, female.

 

Wnuen writing on the ornithology of Australia, I had frequent occasion to remark the occurrence of
species, the habitat of which was restricted to the eastern or to the western portions of that continent, as
the case might be; and I find that a similar law exists with regard to many of the birds inhabiting the
great Peninsula of India. As far as I am aware, the habitat of the Nectarinia Vigorsu is confined to the
western parts of India, where it represents the Mectarinia Goalpariensis, so generally dispersed over the
eastern and north-eastern parts of that great country.

The credit of the discovery, and of first bringing this fine species before the scientific world, is due to
Colonel Sykes, whose valuable Catalogue of the birds observed by him in the Dukhun, published in the
Second Part of the Proceedings of the Committee of Science and Correspondence of the Zoological Society,
has contributed so largely to our knowledge of Indian ornithology; therein he has dedicated this
magnificent bird to the late N. A. Vigors, Esq., the first Secretary of the Society, whose enlarged views of
natural affinities in Zoology, as exhibited in his many valuable papers in the “ Transactions of the Linnean
Society,” the “ Zoological Journal,” and the “Proceedings of the Zoological Society,” have contributed so
essentially to enhance the importance of science and to facilitate the labours of every zoologist. From that
period to the present time, few other specimens have either reached this country or been added to the
native museums at Calcutta and elsewhere; otherwise, so fine and distinct a species could not have been
confounded by Mr. Blyth and others with the Nectarinia Goalpariensis, differing as it does in many important
particulars, some of which are well detailed in Colonel Sykes’s specific characters. Although really
belonging to the long-tailed section of the Nectarinie, the tail of this species is not so lengthened as in
NV. Goalpariensis and its near allies ; indeed in the female it is almost square. It is altogether a larger and
more robust bird than WV. Goalpariensis, and moreover may always be distinguished from that species by
the light yellow striz which intersect the scarlet of the breast, and by the small crescent of brilliant metallic
blue on the ear-coverts. With regard to the bird to which Colonel Sykes provisionally assigned the name
of JV. concolor, with the remark, that as all the specimens he obtained were females, and met with in the
same locality as V. Vigorsi, it may prove to be the female of that splendid species, I find, on a careful
examination of his original specimens, that the opinion he then entertained is correct; consequently the
term concolor must sink into a synonym.

Colonel Sykes states that the V. Vigorsi inhabits only the lofty trees of the dense woods of the Ghauts,
and that the larvee of flies, spiders, ants and minute insects were found in the stomachs of those he dissected.

Forehead and crown dark shining green; cheeks, sides and back of the neck, upper part of the back and
lesser wing-coverts, wings and lower part of the back olive-brown ; upper tail-coverts and the basal three-
fourths of the central tail-feathers dark glossy green; remainder of the tail-feathers brown, glossed on the
basal portion of their outer webs with purple; on the rump a fan-shaped mark of pale yellow ; throat and
breast blood-red, striated down the centre with sulphur-yellow ; on the ear-coverts a small crescent-shaped
mark of brilliant steel-blue, and on either side of the throat within the red a narrow line of the same brilliant
hue; under surface of the shoulder whitish; under surface dark brownish grey; bill black, with the
exception of the base of the lower mandible, which is buff; irides dark brown; feet blackish brown.

The female has the entire plumage of a uniform greenish olive, except the under surface of the shoulder,
which is greenish white, and that the tail is of a darker or brownish hue.

The Plate represents two males and a female of the size of lite.