138 



hind neck and on the upper breast, the rest of the under surface bright 

 orange chestnut ; thighs blackish ; under wing coverts blackish, the inner ones 

 shaded with grey ; wings above black, the lesser and median coverts slightly 

 shaded with leaden grey; a very distinct alar speculum, caused bj the outer 

 webs of all the secondaries, except the innermost, being white at the base ; 

 upper tail coverts leaden black ; tail entirely black, with a slight leaden grey 

 shade near the base. (Sharpe.) 



Bill, legs, and feet black ; iris bright yellow, sometimes golden, yellow. 

 (Hume.) 



Length. 12*5 inches; wing 4/55 ; tail yy ; tarsus I ; culmen I. 



The adult female differs from the male in being slightly duller coloured. 

 The young are coloured like the adults, but not so bright ; the head and throat 



'browner, the chest reddish brown instead of grey. 

 , 



^c Hab. Andaman Islands (Port Blair South Andamans), British Burmah^ 

 <^ and NepauL, 



Of its habits and nidification nothing is known. 



Gen. Crypsirhina VieilL 



Tail long, the two central feathers exceeding the rest ; head not ornamented 

 with a distinct crest ; eye without a nude ring ; nostrils densely feathered, 

 forming a crest of velvetty feathers covering the base of the culmen. 



139. Crypsirhina varians, Lath. Ind. Om. Suppl. p. xxvi. ; 



Walden, P. Z. S., 1866, p. 552 ; Sly. B. Bur. p. 88 ; Hume, Str. F. iii. 

 p. 146; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. iii. p. 83; War 'dlaw- Ramsay ', Ibis, 1877, 

 p. 459; OafeSt Sir. F. v. p. 159; Hume and Dav. Str. F. vi. p. 386; Hume, 

 S/r. F. viii. p. 106. The BLACK RACKET- TAILED MAGPIE. 



The whole plumage metallic bronze green, tinged with bluish on the head ; 

 the forehead, lores, a circlet of feathers round the eye and a spot at the 

 base of the lower mandible velvetty black. Wings brown, the outer webs of 

 the primaries greenish, the other quills more or less entirely suffused with 

 green ; tail black, overspread with a metallic green lustre. Bill and feet black ; 

 irides bright blue. 



Length. 13 inches; wing 4-6 to 47 ; tail 7-8 to 8 ; tarsus ri ; culmen i. 



Hab. Java, Burmese countries from Tennaserim northwards and eastwards 

 also to Cochin^ Found in Lower Pegu, whence it extends to Bassein. 

 Davison procured it in Mergui. Malacca and the Province of Wellesley are 

 other countries where it has been met with. According to Blyth it occurs in 

 Lower Siam, and also in Cochin-China. 



The Racket-tailed Magpie affects secondary jungles. It is said to be com- 

 mon in gardens, and wherever found has always been noticed in pairs. Breeds 

 from May to July. Nest cup-shaped, generally made on a bamboo branch. 

 Eggs 2 3 r whitish, marked with brownish. 



