IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 391 



rectrices dark brown ; quills hair brown with palo edges, which 

 are broadest and whitest on the last secondaries and the median 

 coverts, forming* an indistinct whitish bar on the wing 1 ; sides 

 of head and lower parts pale greyish brown, much paler than the 

 back, and becoming whitish on the abdomen and lower tail- 

 coverts, the latter having a very slight rufous tinge. Measure- 

 ments : — 



Wing. 



Male 345 



342 



Female 325 



„ 3-36 



In some specimens all the outer rectrices are brownish at the 

 tips, the shafts being the darkest parts, but this is not always 

 the case." 



504.— Ruticilla cseruleocephala, Vig. 



Mr. Blyth correctly points out that the female is not, as Dr. 

 Jerdon supposes, very similar to, but in fact very different from, 

 the male. The intensely deep ferruginous upper tail-coverts 

 distinguish the female of this species from every other Indian 

 bird for which it could possibly be mistaken. 



Dr. Jerdon's dimensions also differ widely from the results 

 of my measurements. 



Of a male. — Length, 5'8 to 6'0 ; wing, 3'12 ; bill at front, 

 0*36 ; fourth and fifth quills equal, sixth and third equal. In 

 winter plumage, both the black and blue of the male are so 

 concealed by pale brown or rufous tippings that even the male 

 is not easily recognised from Dr. Jerdon's description. 



As for the female, she is dull, dark olivaceous brown above, 

 tinged with rusty on the rump, and with the upper tail-coverts 

 deep ferruginous ; throat, breast, and flanks dull earthy brown, 

 somewhat paler than back ; abdomen albescent ; lower tail and 

 under wing-coverts nearly pure white ; tail blackish brown ; 

 wings dai'k brown ; tertiaries edged pale rusty, some of the wing- 

 coverts with more or less of white or pale tippings ; chin, and 

 a scarcely perceptible frontal line, albescent. — Hume, " Lahore 

 to Yarkand." 



514 Ms.— Cyanecula wolfii, Brehm. 



There are three forms of Blue Throats. 



First. — With the entire throat unspotted blue. This was the 

 form to which the name woljii was assigned. 



