128 LINEATED, OR SENEGAL SUNBIKD. 



seen, being held by the margins of the next range ; 

 but when he is desirous of attracting the attention 

 of the female, he stretches out his neck, and, at the 

 same time, raises these feathers in such a manner 

 that these splendid blue and purple lines become 

 suddenly displayed in all their beauty. 



As we fortunately possess this species in three 

 different stages of plumage, we shall briefly describe 

 each, since they differ so materially that no orni- 

 thologist, unacquainted with the peculiar characters 

 of this group, would suppose them the same. 



In the first, which is either the female, or a young 

 male of the first year, all the upper plumage is hair- 

 brown, with the chin, ears, and sides of the neck, 

 the same : the middle of the throat is blackish, bor- 

 dered on each side with a stripe of fulvous white : 

 each of the breast-feathers is tipt by the same light 

 colour, which increases, and occupies the middle o* 

 the body, the belly, and the whole of the undei 

 tail-covers : the wings and tail are of the same co- 

 lour as the back. 



In the second, which is obviously a male begin- 

 ning to assume its summer plumage, the upper plu- 

 mage is like the last, that is, uniform hair -brown ; 

 but some of the feathers of the crown are tipt with 

 shining green, and the chin is entirely so : the 

 whole of the neck is scarlet, lineated with dark me- 

 tallic blue-green ; but these colours reach only as 

 far as the breast, which, with the middle of the 

 body and vent is fulvous white, spotted irregularly 

 with brown. 



