﻿BIRDS. 
  23 
  

  

  shaft-streaks 
  ; 
  ear-coverts 
  dusky 
  brown 
  ; 
  cheeks 
  clear 
  fulvous, 
  with 
  

   central 
  streaks 
  of 
  light 
  brown, 
  breaking 
  up 
  into 
  irregular 
  cross 
  lines 
  

   on 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  feathers 
  ; 
  throat 
  and 
  fore 
  neck 
  white, 
  with 
  irregular 
  

   zigzag 
  cross 
  lines 
  of 
  light 
  brown 
  ; 
  remainder 
  of 
  under 
  surface 
  of 
  body 
  

   clear 
  fulvous, 
  crossed 
  with 
  zigzag 
  lines 
  of 
  brown 
  ; 
  under 
  tail-coverts 
  

   uniform 
  and 
  deeper 
  buff 
  ; 
  axillarics 
  like 
  the 
  breast 
  and 
  barred 
  across 
  

   in 
  the 
  same 
  manner; 
  under 
  wing-covcrts 
  whiter 
  and 
  crossed 
  distinctly 
  

   with 
  blackish 
  bars, 
  broader 
  and 
  forming 
  a 
  distinct 
  patch 
  on 
  the 
  

   median 
  lower 
  coverts 
  near 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  wing. 
  

  

  The 
  above 
  description 
  is 
  taken 
  from 
  a 
  young 
  male 
  shot 
  near 
  Port 
  

   Essington. 
  

  

  An 
  old 
  bird, 
  with 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  his 
  tail-feathers 
  blue, 
  has 
  his 
  

   plumage 
  very 
  much 
  abraded 
  and 
  the 
  crest-feathers 
  reduced 
  to 
  

   hair-like 
  broAvn 
  plumes. 
  The 
  blue 
  ends 
  to 
  the 
  wing-coverts 
  are 
  

   almost 
  entirely 
  worn 
  off 
  ; 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  breast 
  he 
  is 
  replacing 
  his 
  

   faded 
  plumage 
  by 
  a 
  clean 
  moult, 
  the 
  new 
  feathers 
  being 
  very 
  

   broadly 
  centred 
  with 
  blackish 
  ; 
  the 
  under 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  is 
  

   dirty 
  buff, 
  with 
  brown 
  zigzag 
  cross 
  bars, 
  becoming 
  less 
  distinct 
  on 
  

   the 
  throat. 
  

  

  Compared 
  with 
  young 
  birds, 
  the 
  old 
  D. 
  cervina 
  are 
  very 
  much 
  

   paler 
  buff 
  below 
  and 
  less 
  distinctly 
  barred 
  underneath, 
  the 
  collar 
  

   round 
  the 
  hind 
  neck 
  is 
  nearly 
  uniform, 
  with 
  scarcely 
  any 
  remains 
  

   of 
  zigzag 
  cross-barring, 
  while 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  crest 
  are 
  white 
  or 
  

   buffy 
  white, 
  streaked 
  with 
  brown 
  down 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  feathers 
  ; 
  

   but 
  the 
  whole 
  head 
  is 
  distinctly 
  streaked, 
  instead 
  of 
  being 
  uniform 
  

   brown 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  young 
  birds. 
  The 
  cobalt-blue 
  on 
  the 
  shoulders 
  is, 
  

   of 
  course, 
  much 
  more 
  brilliant 
  and 
  more 
  developed 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  

   young 
  ones. 
  

  

  The 
  mode 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  barring 
  on 
  the 
  under 
  surface 
  becomes 
  

   less 
  and 
  the 
  head 
  more 
  streaked 
  is 
  well 
  shown 
  in 
  an 
  immature 
  male 
  

   bird, 
  which 
  has 
  the 
  head 
  losing 
  its 
  uniformity 
  for 
  the 
  streaked 
  

   stage, 
  and 
  yet 
  retains 
  the 
  rufous 
  upper 
  tail-coverts 
  of 
  the 
  immature 
  

   stage, 
  while 
  the 
  tail 
  is 
  only 
  half 
  overshaded 
  with 
  blue. 
  

  

  The 
  differences 
  between 
  the 
  young 
  and 
  old 
  specimens 
  of 
  Dacelo 
  

   cervinus 
  seem 
  to 
  me 
  perfectly 
  comprehensible 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  relations 
  of 
  

   D. 
  leacMi 
  and 
  D. 
  occidentalis 
  are 
  not 
  so 
  clear. 
  There 
  is 
  consider- 
  

   able 
  variation 
  in 
  length 
  of 
  wing 
  throughout 
  the 
  whole 
  series. 
  

   All 
  our 
  specimens 
  of 
  D. 
  leachii 
  have 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  remains 
  of 
  their 
  

   old 
  rufous-barred 
  tail, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  all 
  completing 
  their 
  change 
  to 
  

   the 
  uniform 
  blue 
  tail, 
  and 
  consequently 
  the 
  outer 
  feathers 
  are 
  in 
  

   more 
  or 
  less 
  irregularly 
  blue-banded 
  stages 
  ; 
  but 
  every 
  proof 
  is 
  fur- 
  

   nished 
  that 
  the 
  outer 
  feather 
  will 
  become 
  perfectly 
  blue, 
  like 
  the 
  

   corresponding 
  stage 
  in 
  D. 
  cervinus, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  barred 
  

   outer 
  tail-feather 
  will 
  not 
  hold. 
  

  

  Undoubtedly 
  D. 
  leachii 
  is 
  a 
  larger 
  and 
  more 
  powerful 
  bird 
  than 
  

   D. 
  cervinus. 
  It 
  is 
  often 
  similarly 
  fulvous 
  on 
  the 
  breast 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  

   zigzag 
  bars 
  are 
  coarser 
  and 
  are 
  continued 
  higher 
  up 
  on 
  the 
  throat, 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  being 
  strongly 
  developed 
  on 
  the 
  collar 
  round 
  the 
  hind 
  

   neck. 
  The 
  older 
  the 
  bird 
  becomes, 
  however, 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that, 
  as 
  in 
  

   D. 
  cervinus, 
  the 
  cross-markings 
  on 
  these 
  parts 
  become 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  

  

  