56 la:siprotornis purpuroptehus 



The eggs have been described by Mr. Kuschel as glossy 

 greenish blue 1'06 x 0'81, and by Mr. Nehrkorn as deep 

 blue, with evenly distributed dots of pale brown, and 

 measuring 1'12 x 0'8. 



Lamprotornis purpuropterus, 



Lamprotornis purpuropterus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. pp. 6i, 75, pi. 25 



(1845) Shoa; Eeichen. Vog. Afr. ii. p. 710 (1903); Neum. J. f. O. 



1905, p. '24.3 Shoa; Ernanger, t. c. p. 710 Jiib Biver. 

 " Juida seneoides, Temm." Bp. Consp. i. p. 415 (1850) Africa. 

 Urauges porphyropterus. Cab. Mus. Hein. i. p. 200 (1851) Abyssinia. 

 Lamprotornis porphyropterus, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xiii. p. 156 (1890) ; 



Shelley, B. Afr. I. No. 589 (1896). 

 Lamprotornis viridipectus, Salvad. Mem. Acad. Torino, 1894, p. 560 



Somali. 

 Lamprotornis brevicaudatus, Sharpe, Bull. B. 0. C. vi. p. 48 (1897) 



Elyci/u. 



Subspecies a. 



Lamprotornis aeneocephalus, Heugl. Faun. Eot. Meer. p. 24 (1861); id. 



J. f. 0. 1863, p. 22 Abyssinia, Konlofan, White Nile. 

 Lamprotornis purpuropterus asneocephalus, Eeichen. Vog. Afr. ii. p. 710 



(1903). 

 Lamprotornis poi-phyropterus (uou Cab.), A. L. Butler, Ibis, 1905, p. 324 



Soudan. 



Adult male. Entire head glossy bronze ; upper parts glossy green 

 passing into reddish violet on the lower back and upper tail-coverts, and 

 shaded with that colour on the upper back and slightly more strongly so 

 on the hind neck ; tail violet blue, the centre feathers with some thirty 

 obscurely marked darker bars, and these bars are also present but less 

 marked on the upper tail-coverts ; wings uniform green or violet ; chin and 

 upper throat bronze with a margin of violet and blue passing into green 

 on the lower throat ; centre of chest coppery bronze shading into glossy 

 violet on the remainder of the breast, thighs and under tail-coverts; under 

 surface of tail and wings brownish black with a wash of metallic bluish 

 green on the under wing-coverts. "Iris straw colour; bill and legs black." 

 Total length 12 inches, culmen 085, wing 6-2, tail 6-3, tarsus 1-6. <? , 

 28. 1. 90, Suk (Jackson). 



Adult female. Similar, but smaller. Wing 5-5. ? , 28. 1. 90, Suk 

 (■lackson). 



L. ceneocephalus. Like the above in colouring, but is distinguished by 



111 



