THE PIN-TAILED NONPAREIL. 161 



Bunting, and on account of this similarity in the disposition of its 

 colours, has also been called a " Nonpareil." 



The adult male has the greater part of the upper surface, 

 including the wing-coverts and inner secondaries bright sap-green ; 

 the upper tail-coverts vermilion, pale olive at the base of the feathers ; 

 central tail feathers dull crimson, washed with vermilion at the edges, 

 and with black shafts continued for some distance beyond the webs ; 

 remaining feathers smoky-brown ; flight-feathers, excepting the inner 

 secondaries blackish, edged with green ; forehead, ear-coverts, cheeks, 

 chin, throat and fore chest dull cobalt-blue, gradually changing on the 

 breast, through bronze-green and golden bronze into bright rosy scarlet, 

 which colour occupies the whole central part of the lower body ; lores 

 and feathers at base of beak smoky-black ; remainder of under surface 

 golden brown, paler on under tail-coverts ; flight feathers below slaty- 

 grey ; tail-feathers ashy-grey. Length 5! inches. Beak black, legs 

 flesh-coloured ; iris brown. 



The hen chiefly differs in its duller hues, in the absence of the 

 blue colouring (excepting in old examples, in which it is indicated) 

 and of the rosy scarlet on the under surface of the body ; the two 

 central tail feathers are also shorter ; but lengthen somewhat with age. 



Dr. Russ thus speaks of this species : " Very beautiful ; therefore 

 it is the more to be deplored, that it is still always very rare in the 

 trade. I saw the first two, in 1868, at old Bewig's, in Berlin, who 

 had received them from Lintz, of Hamburg. Later, one was sometimes 

 able to obtain the species from the Zoological Garden, of Cologne, on 

 the Rhine ; now it is occasionally imported by the large dealers ; 

 Abrahams, of London, once received as many as forty pairs. Lately 

 brought into the market by Bosz, of Cologne, in considerable numbers, 

 in faultless vigorous pairs." 



"Call-note a shrill tsit ; song almost inaudible, with violent move- 

 ment of the throat and beak, frequently, however, also a marvellous 

 short chirping. Love-sport very comical. Female utters a fine mouse- 

 like squeaking. Satisfactorily bred, first by Bargheer, of Basle, in 

 1882. Nest with wide cavity, narrow entrance hole and thick in the 

 walls. Brood variable. Young plumage : Blue- green ; flights soft dark- 

 brown ; abdomen dull ash-grey ; breast somewhat darker with olive- 

 green shading ; upper tail-coverts red-brown ; upper mandible shining 

 black ; lower mandible golden yellow (became coloured black within 

 three weeks after flight) ; the tail feathers, which were at first short 

 and symmetrically truncated, grew to their full length in about eight 

 days after flight. Innocent and peaceable. Whereas, it was formerly 



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