COKACIID^. 



a. Ad. sk. ]N[adagascar. A. Crossley [C.]. 



b, c. Ad. sk. Madagascar (Audehert). Shelley Coll. 



d. Ad. sk. Madagascar {A. Crossley). Shelley Coll. 



e. Juv. sk. Madagascar. Purchased. 



2. GEOBIASTES. „ 



Type. 

 Geobiastes, Sharpe, Ibis, 1871, p. 281 G. squamigera. 



Eancje. Confined to Madagascar. 



1. Geobiastes squamigera. 



Brachvpteracias squamigera, Lafr. Rev. Zoo/. 1838, p. 224; Bp. 



Consp. i. p. 166 (1850) ; Grand. Hev. et Mar/, de Zool. 1867, p. 354 ; 



Schl 3Ius. Pai/s-Bas, Coraces, p. 138 (1867) : >d. .$■ Poll. Faun. 



Madag., Ois. p". 158 (1867); Grai/, Hand-I. B. i. p. 77, no. 915 



(1869); Milne-Edwards ^- Grandid. Hist. Nat. Madag., Ois. i. 



p. 241, pis. ma, 99-102 (1879). 

 Atelornis squamigera, Pucher. Rev. Zool. 1846, pp. 193, 200 ; Des 



Mars, Iconogr. Om. pi. 39 (1846) ; Reiclienb. Randb., Merop. 



p. 53, Taf. 436. fig. 3194 (1852) ; Bp. Consp. Valuer. Anis. p. 7 



(1854) ; HaHl. Faun. Madag. p. 28 (1861). 

 Geobiastes squamigera, Sharpe, Ibis, 1871, p. 281 : id. P. Z. S. 1871, 



p. 316 ; Hartl. Vog. Madag. p. 72 (1877). 



Adult. Crown black down the centre ; sides of head and neck and 

 breast white tinged with fulvous, and everywhere so mottled with 

 black as to produce a scaled appearance ; lores, eai'-coverts, cheeks, 

 and throat more distinctly tinged with buff and not so prominently 

 scaled ; a line of black extending from the eye backwards to the 

 nape, and another from the lower part of the eye below the ear- 

 coverts ; back of neck and upper portion of back rich bay ; inter- 

 scapular region olive-green, marked with little silvery bands here 

 and there, this appearance being caused by the white tips to 

 some of the feathers, with a narrow black band on each side ; 

 scapulars rather brighter green, with a faint indication of a silvery 

 bar here and there ; least wing-coverts bordering the edge of the 

 wing dull reddish brown ; remainder of wing-coverts olive-green 

 tinged with brown, the outer ones marked with huffy white, the 

 innermost ones barred towards the tips with white, edged with 

 green on each side and margined with black on the outer edge ; 

 primary-coverts black ; quills black, pale brown at the tips, the 

 inner web white at the base ; the outer web of the 4th, 5th, 6th, 

 and 7th primaries also white, forming a small alar bar ; the 

 secondaries externally washed with grass-green, the inner ones 

 washed with olive-brown and blending with the scapulars ; lower 

 back and rump grass-green ; tail particoloured, greenish at base, 

 except on the outer web, which is cobalt ; a broad band of coppery 

 bay extending across the tail, followed by one of black, and by 

 another one of pale blue along the extremity of the tail-feathers, 

 the two middle ones greenish, but tinged with copper colour towards 

 tlie ends of the feathers : lower portion of breast and belly buffy 



