34 . SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 



CiSSA ORNATA. 



The, Ceylonese Magpie. 



Gissa ornata (Oates, Vol. I., p. 29 ; Legge, p. 353). 



Description. — Head, neck, upper breast, and upper back 

 rich glossy chestnut ; rest of body roj^al bhie, shading into 

 lighter blue on the lower back, flanks, and abdomen ; the 

 wing coverts shade from the hue of the back into dull brown, 

 faintly washed with blue, on the primary coverts ; wing quills 

 chestnut on the outer, blackish-brown on the inner webs, the 

 inner webs of the tertiaries deep blue ; thighs dusky-brown 

 washed with royal blue ; tail deep blue, the outer edge of the 

 outside feathers and the tips of all the feathers white with a 

 more or less irregular patch of black between the blue portion 

 and the white tips. 



In young birds the tail is much shorter and the plumage 

 paler. 



Bill, legs, and feet coral red ; iris light brown ; eyelids red 

 and wattled at the edges, orbital skin rather paler. 



Length about 18*25; wing 6*5; tail 10*5; tarsus 1"7; 

 bill from gape 1 • 6. 



Distribution. — Peculiar to Cejdon. It is confined to the 

 hills, but in the damp south-west districts it is found as low 

 down as 1,000 feet. It probably visits the lower ranges only 

 in the north-east monsoon. 



Habits. — A shy bird which goes about in small parties and 

 keeps to heavy jungle. It spends most of its time in the 

 branches of tall trees, but also frequents the undergrowth in 

 search of lizards and beetles, which together with wild fruits 

 form its food. The cry is said to resemble the clanking of a 

 loose connecting rod on a locomotive. It appears to breed in 

 the higher hill ranges during the north-east monsoon. The nest 

 is placed in the top of a tree and much resembles that of a crow, 

 but is not so carelessly put together. The eggs are bluish - 

 green, thickly spotted all over with light umber-brown over 

 larger under-markings of bluish-gray. Size about 1 • 3 by '98. 



