142 PURPLE-HEADED OR SCALY GRAKLE. 



gloss. The blue of the head softens off on the nape, 

 and more on the neck, to a rich yellowish metallic 

 green, which spreads over the whole of the back of 

 the wings ; on the rump, this green becomes strongly 

 tinged with blue, which finally has a purple tinge. 

 The shoulder-covers are green-blue, precisely similar 

 to the back of the neck and the rump ; this colour is 

 defined at its outer margin, and does not blend into 

 the green of the rest of the wings; the feathers 

 also, like those of the tail-covers, are scale-like, with 

 well-defined margins. The tail is short, quite even, 

 and coloured like the head, the lilac reflections 

 being strongest on the middle pair of feathers ; there 

 is a row of black velvety dots at the tips of the 

 lesser covers, one on each feather, and the same on 

 the greater covers ; these spots, in certain lights, 

 seem encircled with a narrow blue ring ; under wing- 

 eovers, purple. 



In regard to structure, the frontal feathers of 

 this most splendid bird differ from all others of its 

 genus we have hitherto seen ; they are very thickset 

 and short, and fold over, as it were, the base of the 

 bill, like those of the genus Ptilwiorynchus. The 

 wings reach to within three-quarters of an inch of 

 the tail, and this latter is quite even. 



Total length, about 10 inches; bill, from the 

 gape, 1/g ; ditto, from the front, ^ ; wings, 6 ; 

 tail, beyond, ; ditto, from the base, 2^ ; tarsus, 

 1 T 4 ; hind toe and claw, nearly 1. 



