188 SirW. Jardine on some Birds collected 



green, varying in tint with the light, and terminating poste- 

 riorly in a narrow band of violet ; the space between the eye 

 and the rictus, with the chin, are intense black ; from the base 

 of each maxilla there is a short narrow stripe of bluish green, 

 inside of which the throat and fore-part of the neck are bright 

 yellowish green, terminated with a narrow band of steel-blue 

 edged with scarlet. This is produced by the last row of bril- 

 liant steel-blue feathers, having the naked tips of the plumules 

 produced of a bright scarlet, forming a narrow fringe on each, 

 and appearing like a thread of that colour bounding the bril- 

 liant gular patch. Bill, legs and feet black. Length 5 inches ; 

 of the bill to the forehead, T 7 n ; of the wing to the end of the 

 longest quill, 2 t 7 q . 



N, chloropygia, Jard., 1842. — One specimen only occurred 

 in the collection from Mr. Waterhouse, but we compared it 

 with another in the possession of Dr. Stanger at Manchester, 

 which corresponded with it. Its nearest connexion is with 

 the N. chalybeia, for which it was at first mistaken ; and 

 while it presents considerable variations, it may still remain a 

 question how far local circumstances may influence varieties, 

 and also whether the birds from that part of the African coast 

 continue constant in the markings, &c. which seem to separate 

 our two birds. The distinctions are, a less size, and less pro- 

 portional length of the wings and tail ; the want nearly of the 

 blue collar, that being indicated by a deeper green, slightly 

 tinted with blue ; by the under parts and flanks being pale 

 oil-green, whereas they are broccoli-brown in the other ; and 

 by the upper tail-coverts being of the same brilliant green 

 with the head and back, and not rich violet-blue, as in the 

 bird from Southern Africa. We have not seen specimens of 

 N. chalybeia from the western coasts of Africa to compare 

 with those from the Cape of Good Hope, but it is not impos- 

 sible that the bird which served for the description of the one 

 so named in the ' Birds of Western Africa ' may have been 

 that now before us ; and the " greenish tinge" on the narrow 

 blue collar, and the " tail-coverts banded with greenish blue," 

 almost lead us to believe that this has been the case. 



In Le Vaillant's description of u Sucrier a plastron rouge" 

 (N. Afra, Linn.), a bird inhabiting the forests of Auteniquoi is 

 described as almost intermediate in colouring between N. Afra 

 and chalybeia, the crimson band being less in breadth, and 

 having all the red feathers transversely marked with lines of a 

 rich golden green : by referring to the following description, 

 it will be seen that this is in part the case with the species 

 now before us. 



In the bird from the Niger, the upper parts, wings and tail 



