585 



FREGILUS. CHOUGH. 



Bill rather long, slightly decurved, rather slender, tapering, 

 pentagonal and a little higher than broad at the base. Upper 

 mandible having the dorsal outline slightly arched, toward 

 the end declinate, the ridge obtuse, the sides flattened and slop- 

 ing, the edges overlapping, sharp, almost or entirely without a 

 notch, the tip declinate, slender, flattened, and projecting a 

 little. Lower mandible Avith the angle short, of moderate 

 width, obtuse, the dorsal outline concave, the edges sharp and 

 slightly inflected, the tip slender, declinate, rather acute, the 

 sides flattened and nearly erect. Gape-line slightly arched. 



Mouth narrow ; upper mandible slightly concave within, as 

 is the lower, the latter with a slender prominent central line. 

 Nostrils in the fore pai-t of the very short nasal groove, ellip- 

 tical, open, but concealed by the short, stiff, reversed feathers, 

 which cover only a very small portion of the bill. Eyes of 

 moderate size ; eyelids feathered, having a narrow crenate 



bare margin, but without ciliary 

 bristles, the lower much larger. 

 Aperture of the ear roundish, 

 of moderate size. 



Head of moderate size, ovate, 

 rather convex above ; neck of 

 moderate length, strong ; body 

 ovate, rather slender. Legs 

 rather short, strong ; tarsi rather 

 short, compressed, covered an- 

 teriorly with eight scutella, of which the upper are generally 

 blended, posteriorly with two longitudinal plates meeting be- 



