8. I'EKICROCOTUS. 73 



2. Pericrocotus elegans. 



Phceiiicornis elegans, M'CMl P. Z. S. 1839, p. 15(5. 

 Pericrocotus elegans, Grai/, Gen. B. i. p. 282 ; id. Hand-l. B. i. p. 335 ; 

 Hume, Sir. F. 1873, p."309, 1875, p. 95, 1877, p. 194; id. (§■ Davi- 

 son, S. F. 1878, p. 211. 

 Pericrocotus rutilus, Gray, Hand-l. B. i. p. 335. 

 Pericrocotus fraterculus, Swinhoe, Ibis, 1870, p. 244 ; id. P. Z. S. 

 1871, p. 379. 

 Very like P. s^eciosus, but distinguished by its smaller size and 

 by having the outer webs of the centre tail-feathers red. Mr. Hume 

 writes : — " Like P. sj^eciosus, the first two primaries in the adult 

 male and the first three in the female and young male alone want 

 the bright patch on the outer web. No doubt there is a distinction 

 in the tails, in that out of 26 adult males examined, in every one 

 the outer webs of the tail-feathers were red, whereas only three out 

 of 27 P. speciosus had any red on the outer webs of the middle tail- 

 feathers. Again, taken as a body, the backs of the females are 

 somewhat darker, and the red of the males somewhat more flam- 

 meous." Dimensions of -ndng given by Mr. Hume are as follows : — - 

 " In the males it varied from 3-6 to 3-77 inches, and in the females 

 from 3-5 to 3-8." 



Hab. Assam, Khasia hills, Kachar, Hill Tipperah, and throughout 

 the Tenasserim hills to the extreme south at Malewoon {Hume) ; 

 Siam, Cochin China, Hainan. 



a. d ad., h. ^ \xm. sk. Bassein, Pegu. W. T. Blanford, Esq. [P.]. 

 c, rf. c? ? ad. sk. Cochin China. M. E. Pierre [C.]. 



e,f. S 2 ad. sk. Hainan. R. Swinhoe, Esq. [C.]. 



3. Pericrocotus andamanensis. 



Pericrocotus andamanensis, Beavan 8f TSitler, Ibis, 1867, p. 322 ; Gray, 

 Hand-l. B. i. p. 335 ; Walden, Ibis, 1873, p. 309 ; Hume, Str. K 

 1874, p. 208, 1877, p. 195. 



Pericrocotus speciosus, Ball, Str. F. 1873, p. 66. 



Adult male (Andamans). Above glossy blue-black, the lower back, 

 rump, and upper taU-coverts fiery vermilion ; wing-coverts black, 

 the external primary- coverts with a distinct broad margin of vermi- 

 lion, the greater series vermilion with black bases ; ciuiUs black, all 

 but the three outer primaries barred with vermilion near the base, 

 which is black, the three inner secondaries with a narrow spot of 

 vermilion near the tip of the outer web ; tail fiery vermilion, the 

 feathers with black bases, increasing in extent towards the centre 

 of the tail, the two centre feathers black ; sides of face and throat 

 glossy black like the head, the rest of the under surface fiery ver- 

 milion, including the under wing-coverts ; thighs blackish ; bill and 

 feet black ; iris dark brown. Total length 7-5 inches, culmen 0-65, 

 wing 3"55, tail 3-0, tarsus 0-65. 



Hab. Andaman Islands. 



a. cJ ad. sk. 8. Andaman, Feb. 27, 1873 R. B. Sharpe, Esq. [P.]. 

 ( IFardlaw Ramsay). 



