21. oissA. 85 



Key to the Species. 



a. Head and neck blue or green ; through the eye a 



black band, encircling the nape. 

 a'. Inner secondaries ashy grey (in skin), tipped 



■with a broad white spot ; tail with black spots. chi»ensis, p. 85. 

 b'. Inner secondaries entirely bluish white, the base 



only greyish black ; no black spots on tail .... thalassina, p. 86. 



b. Head and neck chestnut ; no black nape-baud ; back 



and breast bright blue ornata, p. 87. 



1. Cissa chinensis. 



Le Rollier de la Chine, Briss. Orn. ii. p. 77, pi. 6. fig. 2 ; PI. Enl. 



620. 

 Chinese Roller, Lath. Gen. Syn. i. p. 414. 

 Coracias chinensis, Uodd. Tnhl. Tl. Enl. p. 38. 

 Corvus .speciosus, Shaw, Gen. Zool. vii. p. 364. 

 Pica speciosa, Wugler, Syst. Ai\ Pica, sp. 30. 

 Corapica bengalensis, Less. Traite, p. 353. 

 Kitta venatoria, Gray, III. Ltd. Zool. i. pi. 2; JlcClell. P. Z. S. 1839, 



p. 164 ; Lli/lh, J. A. S. B. xii. p. 938 ; Bp. Comj}. i. p. 166. 

 Chlorisoma sinensis. Swains. Classif. B. ii. p. 231. 

 Cissa sinensis, Bh/th, J. A. S. B. xiii. p. 934 ; Grai/, Gen. B. ii. p. 



308; id. Cat. Mamm. SiX. Xepal, Hodqs. p. 101; 'llorsf. ^- Moore, 



Cat. B. Mas. E.L Co. ii. p. 575; Jer'd. B. Ltd. ii. p." 312; Schl. 



3L(S. P.-B. Coraces, p. 68 ; Bh/th ^- Wald. B. Burnt, p. 89. 

 Cissa venatoria, Blijth, J. A. S. B. xv. p. 29; id. Cat. B. Mus. A. S. 



B. p. 92 ; Gotild, B. Asia, part ix. 

 Kitta speciosa, Bp. Cvnsp. i. p. 166. 

 Citta sinensis, Licht. Xomencl. Av. p. 9. 

 Cissa speciosa, Gray, Hand-l. B. ii. p. 6 ; Hume, Nests &■ Eggs Ind. 



B. p. 421 ; id. Str. F. 1875, p. 146. 



Adult. General colour light greea {in life), pale blue (in skin), 

 the head very much crested ; lores, feathers round the eve extend- 

 ing in a band round the nape and forming a nuchal band, black ; 

 cheeks, sides of neck, and under surface of body light green or blue ; 

 wings reddish brown, the least wing-coverts green, like the sca- 

 pulars, all the quills dull brown on the inner web, the innermost 

 secondaries broadly tipped with bluish white, before which is a veiy 

 distinct subterminal bar of black ; tail pale blue or green, the two 

 middle feathers white at tip, the rest broadly tipped with white, 

 before which is a very broad band of black ; bill and legs bright 

 coral-red ; bare skin round the eye vermilion (Jerdon) ; edge of eye- 

 lid coral-red, rest of it yellowish brown (Oates); iris dark reddish 

 brown (Jerdon), blood-red (Gates). Total length 15-5 inches, cul- 

 men r45, wing 5-8, tail 7-8-5, tarsus 1-9. 



Ofe. The curious way in which this bird changes its colour from 

 green to blue has often been remarked. Mr. Blyth, who has kept 

 it alive, thus writes : — " "When nearly moulted it is of a lovely gi-een, 

 with the wings bright sanguine red, and the bill and legs deep 

 coral ; but whether alive (wild or in confinement) or mounted as a 

 stuffed specimen and exposed to the light, the green soon changes to 

 verdigris-blue." 



