406 Novelties. — AracJinechtJira andamanica. 



latter half of April, and which are about to doff the breeding 

 g-arb, shew a pale yellowish white supereilium, more or less dis- 

 tinctly ; it is the birds killed from December to March^ during 

 which period they breed, that are brownest above, and are 

 characterized by the absence of the supercilium. The tail is 

 black ; the external lateral feathers broadly tipped for nearly 

 one-third of their extent on both webs with white ; the white of 

 the outer webs, however, being tinged with pale brown ; the next 

 pair on each side have the inner web white for about 0*2, and 

 the outer web brownish white just at the tip j the rest of the 

 tail feathers are excessively narrowly margined at theii" tips with 

 white ; sometimes the exterior web of the outer tail feather is 

 margined whitish the whole way up ; the chin, throat, and upper 

 breast have metallic reflections, deep purple in the centre, and a 

 steely green along the sides. Immediately below, is a narrow 

 more or less imperfect band, olive brown, with, in some, a mor& 

 or less ferruginous tinge, the rest of the lower parts ai'e yellowish 

 white, or pale yellow, according partly to season, and partly to 

 individuals ; and the axillary tufts which are conspicuous, are 

 pure, rather pale gamboge yellow_, in some specimens almost 

 primrose yellow. 



Towards the middle of April the males doff" the breeding plum- 

 age, the upper surface becomes somewhat greener, and the 

 rump slightly brighter colored, the superciliary stripe, though 

 still very small, becomes distincter and pale yellow ; the chin, 

 throat, and breast become a clear pale yellow, with only a mode- 

 rately broad central stripe of steely blue feathers ; the brown 

 pectoral band disappears. 



The female closely resembles the male, is browner when he is 

 browner, greener when he is greener, and shews more or less 

 supercilium, at the same time as he does ; but always I think 

 shews rather more ; she differs in having the chin, throat, and 

 upper breast always pale yellow or yellowish white ; and in never 

 exhibiting any trace of the brown pectoral band. 



These descriptions are founded oti sixteen specimens of males 

 and ten of females, killed in different parts of the Andaman 

 group, between December and the end of April. This species 

 is very common in the Andamans; and had we not had so many 

 other birds to attend to, we might have secured any number of 

 specimens. 



