242 ANIMALS IN 3IENAGER1ES. 



the throat, and adjoining half of the neck, bright lavender 

 purple : the base of the neck above, the back, the ter- 

 tials, and the tail covers brownish and blackish green : 

 the fore parts, including the shorter scapulars, margined 

 and marked with semi-ovate pale brown bars : the larger 

 scapulars are longitudinally and very elegantly striped 

 with blackish green, light sky-blue, and pale brown : 

 the whole of the shoulder and lesser wing covers are of 

 a pure light or sky-blue : but the greater covers are 

 white, with their bases brown : the wing spot is of a 

 rich dark green : the primaries, their covers, and the 

 tail are liver-brown : sides of the rump, the longest 

 of the under wing covers, and the axillary feathers are 

 pure white : the under plumage pale reddish brown, 

 glossed with chestnut on the breast, and thickly marked 

 throughout with round blackish spots, which are changed 

 to bars on the breast and tips of the long flank feathers : 

 the bill is bluish black; and the feet are yellow. 



The female is so unlike the male, that, before Wilson 

 ascertained its identity, it was always thought a distinct 

 species. It wants the white patch on the sides of the 

 rump, the crescent before the eyes, and tlie rich purple 

 tint on the head and neck : the upper plumage is brown, 

 and the pale bars are less distinct ; the imder plumage 

 is white and brown, with irregular blotches of a darker 

 colour, instead of neat round spots : the wings as in 

 the male. The young birds want the green speculum 

 on the wings ; and in other respects are like the female. 

 The total length of the full grown male is about eighteen 

 inches. 



