48 CORACIID^ COKACIAS 



high bank, a bedding of grass and feathers being usually provided. 

 During the breeding-season the male indulges in extraordinary 

 tumbling antics in the air, whence it has derived its English trivial 

 name. 



401. Goracias caudatus. Moselikatze's Boiler. 



Coracias caudata, Lin^i. Sijst. Nat. 12th ed. i, p. 160 (1766) ; KirJc, 

 Ibis, 1864, p. 324 [Zambesi] ; Layarcl, B. S. Afr. p. 61 (1867) ; 

 Gurneij, Ibis, 1868, p. 461 [Natal] ; Laijard, Ibis, 1869, p. 364 

 [Bechuanaland] ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1871, p. 194; Gurnerj in Andersson's 

 B. Damaraland, p. 53 (1872) ; Buckley, Ibis, 1874, p. 364 [Trans- 

 vaal] ; Sharpe, ed. Laijard's B. S. Afr. pp. 104, 805 (1875-84) ; 

 Barratt, Ibis, 1876, p. 198 [Rustenburg] ; Ayres, Ibis, 1879, p. 290 

 [Rustenburg] ; Dates, Matabeleland, p. 302 (1881); Shelley, Ibis, 

 1882, p. 243 [Umfuli Eiver] ; Holub S Pelzeln Orn. Siid-Afrikas, 

 p. 59 (1882) ; W. Ayres, Ibis, 1887, p. 50 [Zoutspansberg] ; Sharpe, 

 Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 21 (1892) ; Dresser, Monogr. Corac. p. 9, pi. 3 

 (1893) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 109 (1896) ; liendall. Ibis, 1896, p. 197 

 [Barberton] ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1897, p. 497 [Ulundi] ; Woodward Bros. 

 Natal B. p. 88 (1899) ; Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 95 [Zambesi] ; 

 Marshall, Ibis, p. 246 [Umfuli River]. 



"Moselikatze's Bird" of English; "Fefe" of Zulus and Matabele: 

 " Veve" of Swazis ; " Le-cler-cler " of Bechuanas. 



Description. — Crown and nape a pale green with a hoary-white 

 frontal band extending over the eye ; back, scapulars and inner 

 secondaries pale brown ; greater wing-coverts pale cobalt-blue, lesser- 

 coverts and feathers along the carpal joint and ulna bright ultra- 

 marine-blue ; basal half of the wing quills cobalt-blue, distal half 

 black on the inner webs, ultramarine-blue on the outer, from below, 

 black on the outer, ultramarine on the inner webs ; rump ultra- 

 marine, upper tail-coverts hghter blue ; central pair of tail-feathers 

 oily-green, the others pale cobalt tipped with darker, the outer pair 

 narrowed and elongated to nearly twice the length of the other 

 feathers, the narrow portion darkening to black ; below the chin is 

 hoary- white, the throat, cheeks and breast rich vinous with a few 

 white shaft marks on the throat ; abdomen, under wing- and tail- 

 coverts bright cobalt-blue. 



Iris dark hazel ; bill black ; legs and feet greenish-yellow. 



Length to middle tail-feather about 11-0 ; wing 6*60 ; tail to 

 end of middle feather 4-90 ; to end of elongated feather 7-25 to 8*50 ; 

 culmen 1-15 ; tarsus -85. 



The female resembles the male in every respect including the 

 elongated tail-feathers. 



