Correspondence



195



CORRESPONDENCE


A RARE MOCKING-BIRD, ETC.


Sirs, — In September I received from Mr.H. E. Rogers a Mocking-bird,

the only specimen that arrived in a consignment of birds from the

Argentine, and I am told that this species is rare there. It is an

extremely graceful bird, of the size of the “ common ” Mocking-bird

(Minins polyylottus), but the whole colouring is inclined to brown rather

than grey. The head and back are dark brownish, the primaries and

central tail feathers black. A superciliary stripe over the eyes is whitish-

fawn, the underparts sandy fawn, and what is very distinctive, a whitish

line runs from the shoulders to the tips of the secondary wing-feathers,

making a fairly broad and uninterrupted stripe all along the wings.

The outer tail feathers are white. 1 should say the bird is not in

immature plumage. Descriptions are difficult or misleading, but I have

certainly never seen this species of Minins before. I believe it is

M. triurus.


I also received at the same time a pair of Pileated Jays

(why “ pileated ” ?) but they do not seem to be Cyanocorax chrysops,

which, as far as I can recall, has the underparts white, whereas in my

birds they are champagne, quite genuine, and not a discoloured white,

the upper parts being a beautiful deep blue-violet. They inhabit

Patagonia, I believe.


There is the same lovely spot of turquoise blue over the eyes as in

C. chrysops, and also on the nape of the neck. 1 Mr. Rogers sent me on

approval a pair of “ Jays ”, which undoubtedly should be called

Magpies. Black head and upper breast, the whole body being very

dark blackish purple. The central tail feathers were broken, but would

evidently be long in the Magpie style.


Hubert D. Astley.


1 They appear to be Cyanocorax azureus : a most absurd name ! There is

nothing azure about them, or any feather approaching that colour, for azure

means an exceedingly bright and pure sky-blue.



