BLUE-THROATED REDSTART. 301 



second with ten, the third with fourteen, the fourth with 

 twelve scutella ; the claws rather long, moderately arched, 

 slender, extremely compressed, and tapering to a fine point. 



The plumage is soft and blended, the feathers oblong, with 

 loose margins, and a slender plumule. The wings are rather 

 long ; the first primary scarcely more than a third of the length 

 of the second, which is four-twelfths of an inch shorter than 

 the third ; that and the fourth are equal, and scarcely exceed 

 the fifth ; the second and sixth nearly equal ; the secondary 

 quills very long and rounded. The tail is rather long, slightly 

 rounded, straight, its feathers of moderate breadth, and ob- 

 liquely rounded, but with the extremity rather pointed. 



The bill is light-brown at the base, darker towards the end ; 

 the tarsi wood-brown, the toes and claws a little darker. The 

 upper parts are wood-brown, the feathers of the head dusky in 

 their middle parts, the rump paler, and somewhat tinged with 

 red ; the upper tail-coverts with a light red patch in the middle. 

 The wings are of the same colour as the back, the quills mar- 

 gined externally with paler, the middle tail-feathers are wood- 

 brown, their outer web reddish at the base ; all the rest are 

 light-red or reddish-orange for nearly two-thirds of their length 

 from the base, the remaining third brownish-black, the tips 

 fading to brownish-grey, and the margins of the outer greyish- 

 white. A whitish band extends from the nostrils over the eye ; 

 the loral space dusky. The throat is ultramarine blue, that 

 colour margined beneath by dusky spots ; then succeeds a patch 

 of orange red, on the lower part of which are some white spots ; 

 then a broad band of ultramarine, terminated by a narrow band 

 of black, and another of white ; beneath which, occupying the 

 fore-part of the breast is a broad band of orange red. The 

 rest of the lower parts are whitish, the sides, wing-coverts, and 

 tail-coverts pale reddish-yellow. 



Length to end of tail 5{ § inches ; bill along the ridge 5^ 

 twelfths ; along the edge of lower mandible 8^ twelfths ; wing 

 from flexure 3^ ; tail 2^ ; tarsus lj\ ; first toe 3^ twelfths, 

 its claw i\ ; second toe 4^ twelfths, its claw 2^ twelfths ; 

 third toe j%, its claw 2f twelfths ; fourth toe 4^ twelfths, its 

 claw 2i twelfths. 



