7. DISSEMUEOIDES. 265 



1. Dissemuroides andamaneusis. 



Dicrurua andamanensis, Tijtler Sf Beavmi, Ibis, 1867, p. 322 ; Grat/, 



Hund-l. B. i. p. 28o ; Ball, J. A. S. B. xli. p. 282. 

 Buclianga (I)icrurus) andamanensis, Ball, S. F. 1873, p. 66. 

 Dissemuroides andamanensis, Hume, S. F. 1874, p. 211. 



Adult male. General colour black, with a slight purplish gloss 

 on the back ; wings glossed with metallic steel-green, as also the 

 secondaries ; quills brown, with reddish brown shafts, and slightly 

 glossed with greenish at the base of the outer web ; tail black, with 

 a steel-green gloss on the outer webs ; lores, sides of face, and under 

 surface deep black, with a slight purplish gloss on the breast ; under 

 wing-coverts like the breast, but tipped with white. " Bill and legs 

 black; iris hair-brown, sometimes very deep and almost blackish. 

 Total length 11-25-12-0, wing 5-0-5-25, tail 7-0-8-25, bill from 

 gape 1-2-1-35, tarsus 0-8-0-9 " {Hume). 



Adult female. Eather smaller than the male (Hume). 



Obs. The single skin which we possess in the Museum is in bad 

 condition and moulting ; but the metallic gloss both on the upper 

 and under surface seems to me more purple and less of a greenish 

 cast than D. dicruriformis. Mr. Hume, who had a large series, does 

 not notice this difference, which perhaps may not be observable when 

 a quantity of specimens are examined. 



Hub. Andaman Islands. 



a. cJ ad. Port Blair, South Andamaus, E. B. Sliarpe, Esq. [P.]. 



June 23, 1873 ( Wimberley). 



Subsp. a. Dissemuroides dicruriformis. 



Dissemuroides dicruriformis, Hume, S. F. 1873, p. 408 ; id. S. F. 

 1874, p. 211. 



Adidt female. General colour above black, with a greenish glosa 

 deepening to steel-green on the head and neck ; wing-coverts uni- 

 form with the back, as also the inner secondaries ; primaries brown, 

 with reddish brown shafts, slightly glossed -nith greenish near the 

 base of the outer web, and inclining to dusky brown at tips ; 

 tail deep black, with a steel-green gloss on the outer webs ; lores 

 and sides of face deep black ; under surface of body black, with a 

 slight gloss of steel-green on the feathers of the lower throat and 

 breast ; under wing-coverts black, with a slight metallic gloss, and 

 all tipped with white : bill and feet black ; irides dark brown. 

 Total length " 13-2o-l'4-6, wing 5-6-5-9, bill from gape 1-4-1-5, 

 tarsus 0-9-l*0 " {Hume). 



Obs. Mr. Hume has kindly presented to the Museum an example 

 of this bird ; but as the tail is not fully grown, I have preferred to 

 quote his own comparative measurements. As he claims a specific 

 rank for this bird only on account of its larger size, I am induced 

 to look upon it merely as a race of the ordinary D. andamanensis. 



Hub. Andamans : Great Coco Island and Table Island. 



rt. (^ ad. sk. Great Coco Island. A. 0. Hume, Esq. [P.]. 



