THE ISLANDS OF THE BAY OF BENGAL. 145 



white frontal band. The whole of the upper part of the head, 

 occiput and nape, black ; changing to deep brown towards the 

 nape. The basal halves of all the feathers white, which however 

 is not visible iu really good specimens till the feathers are lifted. 

 The whole of the feathers of the occipital region and the nape 

 elongated, so as to form a very broad full crest. All the feathers 

 of the crown and upper portion of the occiput narrowly fringed 

 with yellowish white ; those of the lower portion of the occiput, 

 nape and sides of the neck similarity fringed with rich rufous 

 brown or pale ferruginous. The chin, cheeks and ear-coverts 

 deep chocolate brown. The throat and entire breast of the 

 same color, but somewhat paler, and entirely unspotted, but 

 many of the feathers with a very narrow, terminal, pale rufescent 

 fringe. The entire mantle and wings a rich umber brown, 

 with a beautiful purple gloss, absolutely uniform, except for traces 

 of a narrow, terminal, rufescent fringe to the feathers of the 

 interscapulary region. 



Two small irregular white spots at the tips of the latter 

 primaries and secondaries, a very few roundish white spots on 

 some of the median and lesser wing coverts. Judging from 

 other specimens, it seems probable that all these spots ultimately 

 disappear. Lower back, rump and upper tail coverts a rich 

 uniform umber brown, only at the extreme tips of the latter 

 traces of white spots occur. 



Tail, blackish brown, with a narrow white tip ; two inches 

 from the tip a grey brown band 0*85 inches in width ; 4*75 inches 

 from the tip a similar but less distinctly marked band 0'3 in 

 width. The bands become more and more strongly marked and 

 paler in color as the feathers recede from the centre. The under- 

 surface of the tail is perfectly black, with a narrow white tip- 

 ping, and two strongly marked greyish white transverse bars 

 corresponding with the paler brown bars on the upper surface. 



The abdomen, vent, sides, flanks, lower tail coverts, axillaries, 

 and wing lining, except the greater lower coverts, a rich 

 chocolate brown everywhere adorned with nearly circular, 

 sharply defined, pure white spots ; furthest apart on the abdo- 

 men and axillaries, closest on the lesser lower coverts, and 

 tibial plumes, and extended on the lower tail coverts (which 

 are also narrowly tipped with rufescent white) into imperfect 

 bars. 



The greater lower wing coverts are a gre3^er brown, and the 

 spots on them are larger. The first primary has on the lower 

 surface of the inner web three well-marked white or brownish 

 white transverse bars, and the trace of a fourth nearer to the 



