1. BEACH YPTEEACI AS. 5 



1. Brachypteracias leptosomus. 



Colaris leptosomus, Less. Ilhisfr. Zool. pi. 20 (1832). 



Brachypteracias leptosomus, Lafi-. May. de Zool. 1834, Ois. pi. 31 ; 

 Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 01 (1845) ; id. Cat. Fissir. Brit. Mus. p. 35 

 (1848) ; Bp. Consp. i. p. 166 (1850) ; Beichenb. Handb., Merop. 

 p. 53, Taf. 436. tigs. 3191-92 (1852) ; Bp). Consp. Volucr. Anis. 

 p. 7 (1854) ; Ilartl Faun. Madag. p. 28 (1861); E. Neivt. Ibis, 

 1803, p. 341 ; Gra7id. Bev. et Mag. de Zool. 1807, p. 354 ; Schl. ^• 

 Poll. Fauna Madaq., Ois. p. 158 (1808) ; Grag, Hund-l. B. i. 

 p. 77, no. 913 (1809); Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1870, p. 398; id. Ibis, 

 1871, p. 280; Hartl Vcig. Madag. p. 70 (1877) ; Milne-Edwards^- 

 Grandid. II. N. Madag., Ois. i. p. 235, pis. 96, 96 a, 97-99 

 (1879). _ 



Cliloropygia leptosomus, Swains. Classif. B. ii. p. 333 (1837). 



Brachypteracias coUaris, Pucher. Bev. Zool. 1846, p. 198: id. Arch. 

 Mus. iv. p. 343 (1849). 



Adult. Head and neck chesfcnut-browu, everywhere suffused with 

 a beautiful plum-coloured gloss ; a parting from the base of the bill, 

 extending up the middle of the head, and the lores reddish brown, 

 the latter extending backwards over the eye and developing into a 

 slight white eyebrow: cheeks and ear-coverts dark chestnut, spotted 

 and banded with white ; back and scapulars dull green, somewhat 

 mixed with brown ; lower portion of the back, rump, and upper 

 tail-coverts green ; rest of the wings brown, everywhere banded at 

 the tip with two lines of dark green, enclosing a broader one of 

 white ; quills brown, white at the base of the inner web, the 

 primaries externally margined with fulvous, becoming white towards 

 the tip ; secondaries broadly washed with fulvous brown on the 

 outer web and with greenish on the inner web, especially the 

 innermost, which blend with the scapulars ; tail for the most part 

 coppery brown, the two centre feathers entirely of this colour and 

 glossed with greenish, all the outer feathers with a broad purplish- 

 black band near the extremity, which is white, the latter colour 

 being dashed with violet ; throat chestnut, the centre of each 

 feather being much paler and inclining to fulvous towards the tip, 

 which is dull white, producing a striped appearance ; a broad 

 crescent-shaped band across the breast, extending on each side to 

 the sides of the neck, white, slightly washed with pale chestnut : 

 upper part of breast alternately banded with white, chestnut, and 

 black, the latter colour disappearing on the sides of the body, which 

 are banded with chestnut and white only, the flanks tinged with 

 greenish ; centre of the abdomen and under tail-coverts creamy 

 white ; thighs brown, washed with greenish, and narrowly banded 

 with white ; under wing-coverts white, slightly mottled with brown : 

 " feet rosy ; iris bi'own " (A. Grandidier). Total length 12-5 

 inches, culmen I'o, wing 5*5, tail o-2, tarsus 1*4. 



Young. Duller in colour than the adult, the bill blackish, with a 

 tip of horny white ; the head reddish brown, with scarcely any lilac 

 gloss ; the back overshaded with reddish brown ; the white collar 

 on the under surface feebly developed. 



Hob, Madagascar. 



