240 HALCYONID^I. 



eye ; central feathers on the crown of the head and on 

 the occiput elongated, forming a crest ; a narrow streak of 

 dark blue descends from the angle of the gape upon the 

 broad white band covering the chin and upper part of the 

 side of the neck ; lower part of the neck, all the back 

 and wing-coverts bluish grey, the latter varied with small 

 spots of white ; the primaries black, spotted and tipped 

 with white ; secondaries and tertials black, the outer edge 

 of each bluish grey, with white specks and white tips ; 

 upper tail-coverts bluish grey, slightly varied with lighter- 

 coloured specks ; tail-feathers bluish black, both webs 

 barred transversely and tipped with white, the central 

 feathers with lighter -coloured edges on the outer side ; 

 round the lower part of the neck in front and over that 

 part above the wing, a band of chestnut brown, varied 

 with bluish grey, below this a band of pure white, below 

 this again a band of pale chestnut, the sides, under the 

 wings, and extending to the flanks, similar in colour ; 

 under surface of the wings, the belly, vent, and under 

 tail-coverts, white ; under surface of the tail-feathers dry 

 slate grey, barred with white ; legs and toes short, in 

 colour orange brown, the claws black. The wing from 

 the bend six and a half inches in length, the first and 

 fourth feathers three-eighths of an inch shorter than the 

 second and third, which are the longest in the wing. 



The description and representation here given are taken 

 from a female. In the males the band across the neck is 

 black, the blue and white parts of the body more pure in 

 colour. 



