84 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



the distal half nearly black; chin, throat and fore 

 part of the neck and upper part of the breast ultra- 

 marine blue, with a spot in the centre, which in 

 some specimens is pure white, but in very old males 

 is red;* below the blue colour is a black bar, then a 

 line of white, and still lower down a broad band of 

 bright chestnut ; the belly dirty white ; flanks and 

 under tail-coverts light reddish brown; legs, toes 

 and claws brown. The females resemble the males 

 in the uniform colour of the upper parts ; the tail- 

 feathers are not so bright ; the chin and upper parts 

 of the throat white, bounded below by a crescent- 

 shaped patch of blue, mixed with some black, the 

 horns of which are directed upwards, encircling the 

 white below the blue colour; the breast is pale red- 

 dish brown." 



The bird in the Exeter Museum, as well as I 

 could see (for it was high up and in a small case), 

 appeared to be a young bird of the year, and very 

 nearly answered the description given by Captain 

 Hadfield of one of the Isle of Wight birds : " Chin 

 and upper part of the throat of a greyish, tinged 

 with yellow; this gorget-like patch extends to the 

 cheeks and over the bill, which is black; the 

 breast of a dull bluish colour, longitudinally streaked 

 with reddish brown, and slightly spotted and shaded 



* There appears at present to be some doubt whether 

 the birds so marked are not a distinct species. 



