41-2 Novelties, — j^thopyga Nicoharica, 



bill, from posterior margin of casque to point, straight, 5 ; length 

 of casque only, 2 '6 7; greatest height of upper mandible inclad- 

 ing casque, l'4j of casque only, 0'6; weight, 1 lb. 3 ozs. 



Female, length, 24 j expanse, 37'75; tail, from vent, 8; 

 wing, 10*75 j tarsus, 1*8; mid toe, to root of claw, 1 '4; claw 

 only, straight from point to base, 0"55 ; bill, from nostril to point, 

 3*6 ; bill, from posterior margin of casque to point, straight, 

 4*1; length of casque only, 2* 6; greatest height of upper man- 

 dible including casque, 1*25 ; of casque only, 0'6 ; weight, 1 lb. 



In both sexes the irides were pale redj the legs and feet 

 brown; the soles, grey ; the bill, pale horny yellow, brownish red 

 at base of both mandibles ; the casque has the posterior plate, 

 if I may so call it, reddish brown, the margin horny yellow, 

 the succeeding ridges are also horny yellow, the furrows separat- 

 ing them being blackish brown ; the orbital skin is pale smalt 

 blue ; the bare gular skin is white, tinged with greenish blue. 

 The whole chin and throat, and the sides of the lower mandible 

 below the eye, as well as the whole region round the eye, are, I 

 should mention, bare ; but both above and below the gape, there 

 is a small tongue of feathers which divide, for two-thirds of their 

 breadth, the two bare patches of the orbit and lower mandible. 



In the female the entire plumage (except the tail which is 

 pure white] is jet black, glossed on the wings and back wath 

 dull metallic green ; the male differs in having the front of the 

 neck, below the bare gular patch, a somewhat pale rufous buff, 

 while the whole of the rest of the head and neck are bright 

 chestnut colored. 



The casque is low and depressed at the base, just above the 

 nostrils only slightly wider than the upper mandible ; but as it 

 decreases in width less rapidly than the bill, it further on, more 

 perceptibly, overhangs this on both sides ; it resembles a set of 

 rather thick scales laid one over the other, and each projecting a 

 quarter of an inch or so beyond the one immediately preceding 

 and overlaving it. 



-^thopyga nicobarica, Sp*. Nov. 



Closely allied to the JlfaZaccan Lathami, Jarcl., vel eupogon. Cab., and to 

 the Javan niysticalis, Temm., if this latter is distinct, hut differs in the 

 conspicuously larger and longer bill (at front, straiglit from forehead to 

 point, 0-71 -0-79.) 



We obtained this species of honey-sucker only on Kondul, one 

 of the smaller islands of the Nicobar group, and situated in the 



