272 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ORNITHOLOGY OF INDIA. 



reflections not surpassed by the plumage of the minaul. (Lopho- 

 phorus Impeyanus) . The lesser coverts immediately along the 

 ulna and at the carpal joint, the outer webs of the primaries, 

 winglet, and greater coverts, the earlier secondaries and their 

 greater coverts are glossed with a deep blue ; the rest of the secon- 

 daries and their greater coverts, most of their median*co verts, and 

 the rump and shorter upper tail coverts brilliant green like the 

 speculum of a drake's wing, but with more or less of golden 

 and bronzy reflections in some lights ; scapulars, interscapulary 

 region, lesser and median coverts adjoining the scapulars 

 similar but with a much stronger coppery glow. This fairly 

 represents the general distribution of colors, but some birds are 

 altogether greener and some are altogether more coppery, and 

 the colors of the feathers vary in every light, and it is as difficult 

 to convey in words any adequate description of the ever-chang- 

 ing tints of this bird as it would be to paint the sparkle of a dia- 

 mond. The upper breast is the same color as the head, but 

 even here if the feathers are lifted it will be seen that inside the 

 broad slatey grey tippings there is a broad patch tinged with 

 metallic green, and the lower breast, abdomen, sides, flanks, vent 

 and a few of the shortest under tail-coverts are all variegated deep 

 metallic green, and blackish slatey, the latter color being confined 

 to a terminal fringe to each feather. The first two primaries 

 almost entirely want the blue metallic gloss, and these, together 

 with the inner webs of the primaries and secondaries, their 

 entire lower surfaces and their longest lower coverts, are black- 

 ish brown. The rest of the wing lining and the axillaries are 

 a brighter, or duller, metallic green, generally tinged bluer 

 along the edge of the wing. In some specimens these parts 

 are deep blackish slatey, only faintly tinged with metallic green 

 and blue ; in some specimens again the grey tippings to the 

 breast and abdomen are wanting ; the breast is deep metallic 

 green ; the feathers tipped purplish ; the tibial plumes are a 

 rich purplish blue ; the abdomen, flanks and sides are a some- 

 what bright metallic green, with more or less of a golden glow 

 at the tips and margins of the feathers. Almost all the scapu- 

 lars, the feathers of the interscapulary region, and most of the 

 lesser and median coverts, are split at the ends in a very curious 

 manner, the shaft only reaching to within from an eighth to a 

 quarter of an inch of the end of the feather. 



In the young bird the protuberances at the base of the cul- 

 men, which in the adult males, when Ave obtained them, were 

 fully as large as a pea, are entirely wanting ; the frontal feathers 

 do not advance nearly so far as in the old birds, there are no 



