162 STURNID.E. 



Cat. Afr. B. p. 54 (1871) ; Ilartl. Ahhandl. nat. Ver. Bremen, iv. 



p. 80 '(1874); Shelley, Ibis, 1875, p. 78; Barraft, Ibis, 1876, 



p. :i05 ; Ay res, t. c. p. 433 ; Sharpe in Oatcs'' Matnbelc-Land, App. 



p. 310 (1881); Holuh ^ Von Pet. Beitr. Orn. Sildafr. p. 112 



(1882) ; Butler, Feilden, S,- Reid, Zool. 1882, p. 25G ; Shelley, 



P. Z. S. 1882, p. 307 ; Sharpe, ed. Bayard's B. S. Afr. pp. 431, 846 



(1884). 

 Ainvdriis rueppelli, Verr. in Chenu, Encycl. Meth. v. p. 166 (1856) ; 



Hard. J. f. 0. 1850, p. 31 ; Ileuyl. J. f. O. 1863, p. 23, 1869, 



p. 12 ; id.' Orn. N.O.-Afr. ii. p. 524 (1870), iv, p. cxxvi (1871) ; 



Blanf. Geul. ^ Zool. Abyss, p. 398 (1870) ; Finsch, Trans. Z. S. 



vii. p. 259 (1870) ; id. iif' Hard. Voy. Ostafr. p. 382 (1870) ; Antin. 



Sf Salvad. Viayq. Bogos, p. 127 (1873) ; Hartl. Abhandl. nat. Ver. 



Bremen, iv. p. 91 (1874) ; Shelley, P. Z. S. 1881, p. 583 ; Fischer, 



J. f. O. 1885, p. 131 ; Salvad. Ann. Mas. Civic. Genov. (2) i. 



p. 201 (1884) ; Giylioli, op. cit. (2) vi. p. 28 (1888) ; Salvad. t. c. 



p. 200 (1888). 

 Pyrrhocheira rueppelli, Horsf. ^ Moore, Cat. B. Mus. F.I. Co. ii. 



p. 546 (1850). 

 Jidda rueppelli. Gray, Hand-l. B. ii. p. 25, no. 6358 (1870). 



Adult male. General colour above glossy blue-black, rather duller 

 on the rump ; wing-coverts black, glossed externally with steel- 

 green ; bastard-wing and primary-coverts blackish with scarcely any 

 green gloss, the latter orange-chestuut on the inner web, with broad 

 black tips ; quills orange-chestnut, broadly tipped with black, the 

 black increasing on the secondaries and the chestnut diminishing, 

 the inner secondaries entirely black, glossed externally with steel- 

 green ; upper tail-coverts like the back ; tail-feathers black, glossed 

 externally with steel-green ; crown of head like the back ; lores, 

 sides of face, ear-coverts, cheeks, and throat glossy black, but with 

 rather more of a steel-green shade than the back ; rest of under 

 surface of body glossy blue-black, the abdomen dull blackish ; the 

 sides of bodj' and flanks rather greener ; thighs and under tail- 

 coverts blackish, with a steel-green gloss ; under wing-coverts and 

 axillaries blackish, with steel-green margins ; quills below chestnut, 

 dusky at the ends : " bill and feet black ; iris double, the inner 

 circle dark brown, the outer cii'cle crimson" {T. Ay res). Total 

 length 11*2 inches, culmen 1*15, wing 5-7, tail 4-9, tarsus 1'3. 



Adult female. In general coloured like the male, but distinguished 

 by the colour of the head, which is iron-grey, extending over the 

 hind neck, all the feathers streaked along the centre with glossy 

 steel-green. Total length 10'3 inches, culmen I'l, wing 5*4, 

 tail 4-45, tarsus 1-25. 



Young male. Resembles the old male, and has a similar black 

 head, but the plumage is altogether duller, more fluffy, and almost 

 without any greenish gloss ; wings and tail as in the adult male : 

 " bill and legs black ; iris dark brown " {T. L. Ayres). Wing 5"25 

 inches. 



Specimens from North-eastern Africa {A. rueppelli, auct.) are 

 rather larger, more glossy, and have a longer tail. " Bill and feet 

 blackish: iris crimson" (Heur/Un); "iris red" {Blanford) ; "iris 

 orange or dull chestnut, or chestnut with a slight red ring " (liaijazzi). 



