Æthopyga shelleyi Sharpe, Nature (1876), 14, 297;
Trans. Linn. Soc. 2d. ser. Zool. (1877), 1, 342; Shelley,
Monogr. Nectarin. (1877), pt. 3, 75; (1880), pts. 11 & 12,
pls. 24 & 25, fig. 1; Gadow, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1884), 9,
29; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 98.
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.)