8. PERICROCOTUS. 79 



10. Pericrocotus brevirostris. 



Muscipeta brevirostris, Vir/ors, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 43. 



Phoeiiicomis brevirostris, Guuld. Cent. Himal. B. pi. 8 ; Jerd. Madr. 



Juurn. X. p. 243. 

 PhcBiiicornis affiuis 6 , M'Ch'lland, P. Z. S. 1839, p. 156. 

 Pericrocotus brevirostris, Grai/, Gfti. B. i. p. 282 ; Blyth, J. A. S. B. 



xi. p. 192, XV. p. 309; it^. Cat. B. Mtes. A. S. B. p. 193 ; Bp.Consp. 



i. p. 357 ; Horsf. 8f Moore, Cat. B. Mus. E. I. Co. i. p. 141 ; Jerd. 



B. Ind. i. p. 421 ; Grai/, Hand-l. B. i. p. 334 ; Swinh. P. Z. S. 



1871, p. 379 ; Hetiders. ^ Hume, Lahore to Yark. p. 184 ; Hume, 



Nests ^c. Ind. B. p. 183 ; 8hmye, Str. F. 1876, p. 209 ; Hume, 



Str. F. 1877, p. 187 ; id. lV Davison, S. F. 1878, p. 273. 

 Pericrocotus affinis, Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 282. 



Adult male. Above glossy blue-black, the back, rump, and upper 

 tail-coverts deep crimson ; tail crimson, the bases of the feathers 

 black, decreasing in extent towards the outermost, the two centre 

 feathers entirely black, the next two black, the outer web crimson ; 

 wing-coverts glossy black, the greater coverts crimson, with black 

 at the base and on the inner web of the interior ones ; quills black, 

 the primaries edged with white near the tips, the basal half of all 

 the quills excoptiug the three long outer primaries (where it is re- 

 presented by a spot on the inner web) crimson, the innermost secon- 

 dary entirely black, the next two crimson for half their length and on 

 outer web, leaving only a black patch towards tip of inner web ; 

 secondaries also tipped with whitish ; sides of face and throat black, 

 not so glossy as the head ; rest of under surface crimson, including 

 the under wing-coverts, the greater series of which are ashy black ; 

 thighs blackish ; bill and legs black ; irides dark brown. Total 

 length 7-5 inches, culmen O'-lo, wing 3--15, tail 4, tarsus 0-55. 



Adult female. Above ashy grey, clearer on the head, the back 

 slightly washed with olive ; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts 

 yellow ; tail yellow, the basal half black, this black colour gradu- 

 ally encroaching towards the middle of the tail, the centre feathers 

 being black, with a narrow outer border of yeUow ; wing-s glossy 

 black, the small coverts greyer and washed with olive ; the greater 

 coverts tipped with yellow, and all the quills, except the inner se- 

 condaries, with a broad bar of the same colour near the base ; fore- 

 head and lores yellowish white ; chin, cheeks, and feathers below 

 the eye whitish ; cheeks and under surface of body yellow, washed 

 with orange on the breast ; under wing-coverts yellow. Total length 

 7'5 inches, wing 3'45, tail 4, tarsus 0'55. 



Young males appear to resemble the old female, but are yellower 

 on the forehead and side face. 



Hah. Himalaya mountains, from Eastern Cashmere to Bhotan, 

 coming in the cold season into the lower valleys and throughout the 

 submontane tracts, the plains of the N.W. Provinces, &c. ; eastwards 

 from ShiUong, Cachar, Sylhet, Tipperah, C'hittagong, Aracan, &c. 

 (Hume) ; Upper Burmah. 



