3o8 Mdjor-General Thomas Davies's Defer Ipiion 



down to the knee. Scapulars of a brownith tinge. Upper tail 

 coverts, and prime quill feathers, which are fomewhat curved at the. 

 ends, brown black. Edges of the quills gray. The legs long and 

 very ftrong, covered with large Icales, efpecially in front. The feet, 

 which arc likewife large, and the nails, are black ; the laft fome- 

 what crooked, convex above and flat beneath ; the hind nail near 

 three quarters of an inch long. ■ 



The tail confifls, in the whole, of fixteen feathers; all of which, 

 except the two upper or middle ones, and the two exterior on each 

 fide, have long flender Ihafts furnillied on each fide with delicate 

 long filaments, four inches or more in length, placed pretty clofe 

 towards the rump, but more diftant from each other as they ap- 

 proach the extremity, and refemble much thofe of the Greater Pa- 

 ladile Bird. The two middle or upper ones are longer than the 

 reft, flender, narrow at the bafc, growing wider as they approach the 

 ends, which are pointed; webbed on the inner edge all the way, and 

 furnilhed with fomc diftant hair-like threads near the end on the outer 

 lide, of a pale gray colour beneath, and brown black above, as is the 

 reft ot the tail. The two exterior feathers on each fide are of an extra- 

 ordinary conftruflion, rather more than an inch wide at the bafe, and 

 growing wider as they proceed to the ends, where they are full two 

 ulches broad and curve outwardly; the curved part is black with a 

 narrow white border ; the quills of thefe feathers are double for two 

 thirds down from the rump. The general colour of the under fides 

 of thefe two feathers is of a pearly hue, elegantly marked on the 

 inner web with bright rufous coloured crefcent-ftiaped fpots, which, 

 from the extraordinary conflrudion of the parts, appear wonderfully 

 tranfparcnt, although at firft fight feemingly the darkeft ; they are 

 alfo eloniiatcd into flender filaments of an inch or more, elpecially 

 towards ihe exiremitiLS. 



The figure of the ii,ale, which accompanies this defcription, was 



taken 



