Mr. R, Swinhoe on Formosan Ornithology. 287 



grey ; claws brownish. Iris light reddish brown. Feathers near 

 nostrils, spot on cheek, greater part of tibise, vent, and edges to 

 some of the breast-feathers bright rufous. Crown and moustache 

 dull black, the feathers of the former edged with deep olive-grey. 

 Sides of the neck, flanks, axillaries, and basal portions of tibiae 

 olive-grey, somewhat rufescent. Back and wing-coverts rufous 

 brown. Quills and tail deep hair-brown, deeply margined and 

 washed with rufous brown; the 4th, 5th, and 6th primaries 

 nearly equal, and longest in wing ; under part of central quills 

 whitish. Rectrices oval at end, graduated, the lateral feathers 

 being 1^ in. shorter than the central. Throat, breast, and belly 

 white, the breast being adorned with a few very large black 

 oblong spots. 



In the young bird the bill is much shorter and less curved, 

 the head is browner, and the back and upper parts more rufous ; 

 but the under parts are dingier, and the colours generally not 

 so bright as in the adult. 



46. Hypsipetes nigerrimus, Gould, P. Z. S. 1862, p. 282. 



General plumage black, shot with dark green, especially on 

 the upper parts, the wings and tail being edged with bluish or 

 charcoal smoke-grey. Upper mandible of bill somewhat serrated 

 on the apical half. Sexes similar, the female having rather 

 shorter wings. Bill and legs brilliant coral-red ; sole-pads and 

 bases of claws dingy ochreous ; claws black. Inside of mouth 

 and tongue orange-red. Tongue horny, and turned up at the 

 edges, which in the apical third are split up and overlap one 

 another. Skin of eyelid black ; iris deep chestnut. Ear-covert 

 roundish, not quite so large as eye, with a large quadrilateral 

 central aperture. Length 9^ in. ; wing 4^ ; tail 4j1q. A large 

 banyan-fig was found sticking in the throat of this specimen. 



The first quill rather short ; the 4th the longest in the wing, 

 being ^ in. longer than the 5th. Tail of 12 feathers, their shafts 

 slightly projecting ; the four central feathers about ^ in. shorter 

 than the others, giving to the tail a somewhat forked appearance; 

 lateral feathers curved outwardly. In many of the specimens 

 the feathers of the belly, axillaries, rump, and vent are margined 

 with bluish grey. 



