312 COLUMBIA. 



shores and islands of the Mediterranean, going still farther 

 south before the end of autumn. Mr. H. Strickland saw 

 this bird at Smyrna in the month of April, 1836, and 

 Mr. Fellows has included it among the birds seen by him 

 in Asia Minor, in 1838. 



The adult male in summer has the beak brown ; the 

 irides reddish brown ; under the eye a small patch of naked 

 red skin ; top of the head bluish ash, inclining to brown on 

 the back of the neck ; on the lower part of the side of the 

 neck are four rows of black feathers, tipped with white, 

 forming four oblique bars ; scapulars, back, and rump, pale 

 brocoli brown, the centre of each feather still darker ; both 

 sets of wing-coverts clove brown, broadly margined with 

 bright red brown ; the most external smaller wing-coverts 

 bluish grey ; quill-feathers brocoli brown ; upper tail-co- 

 verts, and the two central tail-feathers, clove brown ; the 

 other tail-feathers darker brown, tipped with white ; the 

 outer tail-feather on each side, with the outer web, also 

 white; chin, neck, and breast, pale wood brown, with a 

 vinous tint over the latter; belly, vent, and under tail- 

 coverts white ; under surface of the tail-feathers blackish 

 brown, tipped with white, as on the upper surface : under 

 wing-coverts and sides of the body bluish grey ; legs and 

 toes yellow brown ; claws darker brown. 



The whole length is eleven inches and a half. From the 

 carpal joint to the end of the wing, six inches and three- 

 quarters : the first and second quill-feathers rather longer 

 than the third, and the longest in the wing. 



The colours in the female are less bright and pure than 

 those of the male, and she is rather smaller in size. 



Young birds of the year up to the time of leaving this 

 country have the beak dark brown ; the general colour of 

 the plumage of the head and body hair brown ; the back 

 rather darker than the front of the neck ; the wing-coverts 



