346 ANATHLE. 



wing-coverts ; rump and upper tail-coverts black ; tail- 

 feathers brownish-black ; breast, sides below the wing, and 

 the flanks pure white ; the portion of the belly behind the 

 legs marked with greyish lines, on a ground of white ; 

 under tail-coverts black ; legs and toes bluish-black, the 

 intervening membranes darker. The whole length eighteen 

 inches. From the carpal joint to the end of the wing nine 

 inches ; the first and second quill- feathers very nearly 

 equal in length, but the first rather the longer of the 

 two. 



The head and neck of the female is of a dark brown 

 colour ; the beak lead colour ; around the base of the beak 

 in old females, a broad band of white ; the lower part of 

 the neck and breast dark brown ; the back and scapulars 

 light grey, transversely barred with irregular dusky lines ; 

 the greater quill-feathers dark brown ; the secondaries 

 white, tipped with dark brown ; the tail-feathers also dark 

 brown ; the belly dirty white ; under tail-coverts dusky 

 black ; the legs and toes dusky blue, the webs black. The 

 female is nearly as large as the male, and from the broad 

 white band occasionally to be found around the base of the 

 bill, has been figured and described as a distinct species 

 under various names. 



Young birds resemble the females, generally, but the 

 light colour on the back is varied with brown spots. 



