27. COSMOPSARUS. 159 



If)is, 1874, p. 378 ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 265 ; Sharpe, ed. LayanVs 

 B. S. Afr. pp. 424, 84U'(1884) ; Ai/res, Ibis, 1886, p. 288; Sym- 

 onds, Ibis, 1887, p. 33] ; Gurnet/, t. c. p. 331. 



Adult male. Glossy steel-green with blue reflexions ; hind neck 

 rich purj^le ; lower back and rump violet-purple ; upper tail-coverts 

 steel-blue with purple ends ; wings externally steel-green, the 

 secondaries bluish or purple with green margins ; the inner lesser 

 wiiig-coverts coppery bronze washed with purple, forming a 

 shoulder-spot : tail-feathers purple with violet or green reflexions ; 

 lores velvety black ; feathers under the eye also blackish ; ear- 

 coverts violet with a coppery bronze gloss, the feathers rather 

 frizzled ; cheeks, throat, and under surface of body glossy steel- 

 green ; centre of breast and abdomen reddish purple with a coppery 

 bronze gloss ; sides of body glossy purplish blue ; under tail- and 

 wing-coverts blackish, externally green or steel-blue ; axillaries 

 violet: "bill and feet black; iris dark hazel" {T. Ayres). Total 

 length 12-5 inches, culmen 1, wing 6-8, tail 5-9, tarsus 1-8. 



Adult female. Similar to the male in colour, but much smaller as 

 a rule. 



Young. Much greener than the adult on the head and back, the 

 purple on the hind-neck and lower back of a bluish cast ; under 

 surface of body dull oil-green, more bluish on the flanks, the abdo- 

 men without the reddish-purple or bronzy tint. 



llab. Confined to South Africa. 



a. Ad. sk. S. Africa. Sir A. Smith [C.]. 



(Tvpe of species.). 



b. Ad. sk. S. Africa. Earl of Derby [P.]. 



c. Ad. sk. S. Africa. Edward Wilson, Esq. 



[P.l. 

 (/. S ad. sk. Transvaal {T. Ayrcs). Shelley Coll. 



e. Ad. sk. Transvaal. A. Foresman, Esq. 



[P.]. 

 /. d ad. sk. Transvaal, July 8, 1873 Shelley Coll, 



(T. E. Buckley), 

 y. (S ad. sk. Crocodile IJiver, Transvaal, C. G. & E. W. Gates, 



Dec. 1, 1873 {F. Oates). Esqs. [P.]. 



/(. Juv. sk. Makalaka Country {Dr. Brad- Shelley CoU. 



shavj). 

 i. Ad. sk. Lake Ngami ( Chajmian). Sharpe Coll. 



27. COSMOPSARUS. 



Type. 

 Cosmopsarus, Reichen. Orti. Centralbl. 1879, p. 108 C. reoius. 



Range. Confined to East Africa. 



Key to the Species. 



n. Colours brilliant : back and wings metallic blue ; 



head green ; throat green ; fore neck purple ; 



breast and abdomen golden yellow reyius, p. 100. 



b. Colours subdued ; entirely brown, with a gloss of 



green on the wings and tail uniculur, p. IGU. 



