Mr. R. Swinhoe on Amoy Ornithology. 59 



and pectinated. At the end of May I bought from a Chinese 

 a male Eudynamis orientalis, the first I have seen procured here; 

 I put it into my aviary, but it did not live many days. It had 

 the habit of flying about, up and down, and round and round, 

 in a light and graceful manner, like a Drongo. A few immature 

 pen-like quills still remained on the wings. On dissection I 

 found it to be a male. 



June 11. — I examined some nearly fledged young of Halcyon 

 smyrnensis (L.). Eyelid pale reddish-ochre or bufl". Iris deep 

 umber-brown. Bill deep brown over a reddish-ochre ground, 

 which shows through, especially on the under mandible ; tip 

 fine orange for about '2 in. Inside of mouth light orange-ochre. 

 Legs and toes deep madder- brown, orange-bufi" on the back of 

 the tarsal joint, the underside of the tarsi and the soles of the 

 toes more reddish and sullied. Claws blackish-brown, with pale 

 tips. Head of deeper hue than in the adult. White feathers of 

 the breast narrowly margined with black. I have reared two 

 or three of these noisy fellows on a diet of raw meat, and have 

 still one showy specimen in my aviary. 



I mentioned in one of my former papers (Ibis, 1866, p. 298) 

 that a Porphyrio had oecured at Amoy, and was living in the 

 aviary of a friend while I was in Formosa. One was brought to 

 me on the 29th July alive. Such a noble stately fellow, and so 

 tame ! He stalks about, knee-deep, in my fountain, frequently 

 twitching up his tail, and scratching, with his head immersed in 

 the water, for food. He snatches at a piece of flesh or an insect, 

 and, holding it in one foot, while he stands on the other, he 

 devours it piecemeal. The Chinese bird would appear to be 

 only a race of the P. smaragdinus, Temm., of the Indian Archi- 

 pelago, differing in having its belly purple instead of grey, and 

 in having a black abdomen. I will name it provisionally 



Porphyrio c(elestis, sp. nov. 



Its measurements I have not taken satisfactorily, and will 

 therefore omit. The black of its upper parts has a show of 

 purple in some lights, of olive in others. Its head is dusky 

 grey. Its hindneck, sides of neck, flanks, and belly fine blue- 

 purple. Throat, down to breast, turquoise-blue, a patch of which 



