CATERPILLAR-CATCHER. 253 



portunity of verifying the fact by the same proof as 

 we now advance for this species, namely, a young 

 bird, in the season of moulting, and which is now 

 before us, wherein about half the plumage of the 

 male is intermixed with that of the female ; thus 

 setting the question completely at rest. 



The male, in its perfect adult plumage, is really 

 a beautiful bird ; it is entirely of a rich glossy blue- 

 black, except the shoulder and lesser wing-covers, 

 which are of the most vivid crimson ; at the angle 

 of the mouth there is a narrow marginal projecting 

 skin, which in the living bird was probably red, 

 and would thus bear an analogy to the lips of qua- 

 drupeds. The feathers on the lower part of the 

 back and rump are remarkably thick set, and feel 

 prickly. 



The ground colour of the female, on the contrary, 

 is brown, each feather above being crossed at the 

 end with a black bar and a white one, the latter 

 being external and wanting on the rump. The 

 quills are nearly black, broadly edged, externally 

 and internally, with clear and fine yellow ; the edges 

 of their covers, but not the tips, being narrower. 

 The tail is brownish-black, lighter on the middle 

 feather, and the two external pairs are edged and 

 tipt with yellow. The under plumage is white, 

 with a crescent of black at the end of each feather ; 

 inner wing-covers fine yellow ; bill and feet brown, 

 or blackish. 



Total length, 8 ; bill, from the gape, T 8 ; wings, 

 4; tail beyond, 2 ; from the base, 4; tarsus, fo 



