“Adult male.—Entire head and neck all round, except middle of chin and throat, slate-gray, faintly washed with french-green, the feathers of the forehead narrowly edged with metallic french-green; upper back gray, strongly washed with oil-green; lower back olive-green; rump citron-yellow; wings brownish black with wing-coverts and outer webs of secondaries olive-green; under wing-coverts and edges of inner webs of primaries and secondaries white; tail with longest feather 12 mm. longer than the next, 25 mm. longer than the outer rectrix; middle pair of tail-feathers entirely metallic french-green, the remaining rectrices being green-black, broadly tipped with gray on the outer and white on the inner webs; under parts with a median stripe of citron-yellow extending from bill to chest, broadening posteriorly and minutely mixed with orpiment-orange at upper margin of chest; flanks, abdomen, and under tail-coverts yellow; chest orange; pectoral tufts chinese-orange. Iris red; bill black faintly tipped with horn-color; feet and claws black, except the under side of toes which are yellowish. Length, 130; alar expanse, 180; wing, 57; tail, 55; culmen (chord), 21; tarsus, 18; middle toe with claw, 14.

“Adult female.—Head, neck all round, and chest slate-gray; upper parts, including upper wing-coverts and exposed outer webs of wing-quills, olive-yellow; tail similar to that of male, but shorter and duller, with feathers rounded at tip; under parts, including under tail-coverts, yellow, whitish on middle of abdomen. Size considerably smaller than male. Culmen, 18; wing, 48.

“Young male in first plumage.—Head, sides of throat, and upper parts smoke-gray, washed on lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts with green; upper wing-coverts and exposed portion of outer webs of quills olive-green; under parts, including stripe on middle of chin and throat, smoke-gray washed with greenish yellow; lining of wings white; tail-feathers pointed, similar to the adult but shorter and duller. Iris brown; bill black, orange at base, yellow and orange inside; metatarsus black; toes orange, dusky above. Older males soon grow to resemble adults, the orange first showing in the middle of the breast, the flanks and belly becoming yellow at the same time, the pectoral tufts and richest coloring probably not appearing before the second year.” (Mearns.)

655. ÆTHOPYGA SHELLEYI Sharpe.
SHELLEY’S SUNBIRD.

Balabac (Steere, Everett); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Palawan (Steere, Whitehead, Everett, Platen, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor, Celestino, White).

Male.—Forehead, crown, long moustachial stripe, upper tail-coverts, middle rectrices, and outer webs of remaining rectrices dark metallic green when held away from the light, changing to dark blue when held toward the light; occiput, mantle, and sides of head and neck maroon-red; chin and a narrow line bordering the throat maroon-red; throat and breast sulphur-yellow, the latter streaked with vermilion; abdomen pale gray or white, washed in the middle with pale yellow; under tail-coverts pale yellow; back olive-green; rump sulphur-yellow; wing-feathers blackish brown edged with olive-green. Length, about 110; wing, 47; tail, 44; culmen from base, 16; bill from nostril, 11; tarsus, 14.

Female.—Above olive-green; wing-feathers and rectrices dark brown edged with olive-green; bases of the rectrices with a wash of reddish brown; below white, washed with light olive on the breast and with pale yellow on the abdomen and under tail-coverts. Length, 89; wing, 42; tail, 25; culmen from base, 14; bill from nostril, 11; tarsus, 13.

“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.)