THE ISLANDS OF THE BAY OF BENGAL. 251 



central terminal spot on some of the greater wing-coverts, and 

 more or less developed at the tips of the tertiaries ; rest of the wing* 

 and the tail glossy green black, with some admixture of purple ; 

 the secondaries shaped at tip, and margined with deep black, as 

 in Sturnus vulgaris ; the outermost tail feathers having a whitish 

 brown exterior web, and most of the upper tail-coverts are of 

 the same dull, pale, brown color ; bill dusky, whitish towards 

 base of lower mandible, and the legs apparently plumbeous. 

 What appear to be the females have a large triangular drab 

 colored spot at the base of the secondaries, and the exterior 

 half of the outer webs of the primaries are of the same hue, 

 a trace of this appears also on the wings of some (presumed) 

 males. The young are brown above, paler beneath, passing to 

 whitish on the belly, and lower tail-coverts ; the back and 

 scapularies are darkest ; there is a blackish occipital spot, in the 

 place of the shining black spot of the adult ; the wings are 

 marked nearly as in the adult, but are much less bright ; the 

 secondaries brown with pale outer margins ; and the bill pale 

 with dusky on its terminal half; common at Malacca." 



Raffles gives the following description of his " Turdus striga" 

 " Seven inches in length, with rather a thick heavy body. Back, 

 wings, and crown of head of a shining blue black, under parts, 

 forehead, and neck, greyish white. Wing-coverts edged and 

 tipped with white, bill short, nearly straight and scarcely 

 notched. The colors of the female are much duller and the 

 upper parts are brown." 



Bonaparte defines S. dauricus thus : — " Minor : albo-cinereus 

 dorso atro-violaceo : alis albo-variis : remigibus, rectricibus que 

 aeneo-viridibus." 



Schrenck figures the young of this species, and I am bound 

 to say that his figure does not at all satisfactorily correspond 

 with my birds. I subjoin dimensions, and a full description of 

 my specimens : — 



Male. — I length, 7*5; wing, 4*1 ; tail, 22; tarsus, 1'05 ; 

 bill, at front, 0*6 ; bill, from gape, 095. 



Female. — Length, 7 -25 to 7 '5 ; wing, 4 ; tail, 2-1 to 2*4; 

 tarsus, l'O ; bill, at front, 0*6; bill, from gape, 0*9 to 0'95 ; 

 weight, 1*75 to nearly 2 ozs. 



In both sexes the legs were greenish horny ; the bills dusky ; 

 the lower mandible whitish from the base to the arch of the 

 gonys ; irides brown. 



Male. — A narrow, obscure, ill-defined frontal band extending 

 to the upper margin of the eyes, dull yellowish white ; chin 

 very pale ferruginous ; lores, cheeks, ear-coverts, throat, sides 



