154 ILEMATOPUS OSTRALEGUS. 



and abdomen ; firm and imbricated on the upper parts ; the 

 feathers generally oblong and rounded. The wings are long, 

 and acute ; the first quill longest, the other primaries rapidly 

 graduated, tapering, and obliquely rounded ; the secondaries 

 twenty, the outer fourteen rather short, curved inwards, and 

 obliquely rounded, the rest narrow, tapering, some of them 

 greatly elongated. The tail is rather short, slightly rounded, 

 and repand, the middle and lateral feathers being a little 

 shorter than the rest. 



The bill is vermilion tinged with yellow as far as the end 

 of the nasal groove, the attenuated part dull yellow. The iris 

 crimson, the edges of the eyelids vermilion. The feet are pale 

 lake or purplish-red. The head, the neck all round, the fore 

 part of the back, the scapulars, wing-coverts, quills, and ter- 

 minal half of the tail, are deep greenish-black. The breast, 

 abdomen, sides, lower wing-coverts, middle and hind part of 

 the back, and the upper and lower tail-coverts, are pure white. 

 A broad band of the same colour passes across the wing, in- 

 cluding the greater portion of all the secondary quills excepting 

 the inner, and forming two oblong patches, one on the inner, 

 the other on the outer web of the primaries, the outer of these 

 patches being reduced on the first and second quills to a mere 

 line on the shaft ; the terminal half of the secondary coverts, 

 and the tips of the inner primary coverts, are white ; and there 

 are some white feathers on the outer edge of the wing. A band 

 of white crosses the throat, rising on each side to behind the 

 ears ; on the lower eyelid is a greyish-white mark ; and there 

 are some minute whitish feathers along the base of both 

 mandibles. 



Length to end of tail IT inches ; extent of wings 35 ; 

 wing from flexure 10^ ; tail 5 ; bill along the ridge 2^, along 

 the ridge of lower mandible 2f ; tarsus l^-; inner toe 1, its 

 claw j 2 2 ; middle toe 1^, its claw -y^; outer toe 1^, its claw^. 



Female. — The female resembles the male in colour, and 

 differs little in size, being however larger. (Esophagus seven 

 inches long ; gizzard two inches in length, an inch and three- 

 fourths in breadth ; intestine five feet one inch long ; rectum 

 three inches and a half: coeca four inches and a half. 



