454 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol, XII. 



upper breast, lower neck, outer scapulars and outer portions of upper 

 back mauve wliite ; a narrow centre patch from the neck brown, the 

 feathers edged pale, in fine specimens with broad white edges ; back 

 brown the feathers pale edged ; rump and upper tail coverts black, 

 o'lossed with peacock green and blue, the former tint predominating ; 

 rectrices brown, edged white, increasingly broader on the outer ones ; 

 lower breast, flanks and abdomen rich rufous chestnut, some of the 

 feathers on the posterior and interior flanks lighter and vermiculated 

 with brown ; thighs the same but duller, sometimes a few black spots 

 on the breast ; wing coverts a beautiful blue grey, some of those next 

 the iuner secondaries glossed Prussian blue on the terminal quarter of the 

 outer web; greater coverts more brown and edged with white forming 

 a wing bar next the speculum ; one of the outer scapulars brilliant 

 grey blue, others black glossed with green and with white centres, 

 tertiaries deep brown black, glossed with green turning to blue at the 

 tips, quills dark brown ; speculum a brilliant metallic green ; under tail 

 coverts black, glossed with blue green ; flanks next tail coverts white. 



Bill black ; legs orange, claws horny brown, irides yellow, orange 

 or orange red. 



'' In the male in winter the bill is black, usually with a greyish 

 shade ; in some it may be called leaden dusky. In November when 

 they first arrive, and in the case of birds of the year until much later, 

 the bills of the males are like those of the females. 



" The irides vary, as a rule, in the male from yellow to reddish 

 orano^e, but I have recorded them as brown in two or three males. 



" The legs and feet vary from orange to Indian or tile red and are 

 usually brighter coloured in both sexes in the spring, and at the same 

 season in the male than in the female. The webs are often dusky 

 towards their margins." (Hume). 



Length about 2" ; wing 9-3" to 9-8" ; tail about o'S" : bill from gape 

 about 3" ; tarsus 1'4". 



" Length 19-7" to 21-75"; expanse 29-75" to 32*5" ; wing 9" to 9-8"; 

 tail from vent 3'6" to 4" ; tarsus 1-2" to 1-5"; bill from gape 2*95" to 

 3-05"; weight lib. 3 oz. to 1 lb. 14 oz." (Hiune). 



After the breeding season the male assumes the plumage of the female 

 but may always be distinguished by the speculum on the wing, generally 

 darker, less marked upper parts, and the ])lain dark upper tail coverts. 



