OE NORTH-EASTERN CACHAR. 43 



The females of the three species are much more similar, and 

 they vary so much that I find it impossible to set forth their 

 differences in a brief table like that above given for the males. 



Generally it may be said that the females of albocristatus are 

 lighter, those of melanotics darker, and those of Horsfieldii more 

 rufescent. In albocristatus the crest of the female, when fully 

 developed, is generally longer and greyer than in either of 

 the other two ; the tail feathers are less rufescent and much 

 more boldly vermicilated. The pale tippings to the breast 

 feathers and coverts contrast much less strongly, as a rule, 

 than do the similar tippings in melanotus. In melanotus, the rump 

 and upper tail coverts, as a rule, harmonize well with the cen- 

 contral tail feathers. In Horsfieldii the former are much lighter 

 and more olive, the latter darker and more ferruginous and thus 

 trast together strongly. As a rule the central tail feathers of 

 Horsfieldii are almost perfectly plain, and are deep ferruginous ; 

 those of melanotus deep brown with a ferruginous tinge and 

 feebly vermicilated ; those of albocristatus olive brown with 

 only a faint ferruginous tinge and boldly vermicilated ; but 

 none of these points hold absolutely good, and though by bearing 

 all in mind any specimen can be discriminated at once, I have 

 failed, after examining a large series, to detect any one single 

 positive constant difference in the dry skins that can by itself 

 be relied on to separate specimens. 



The adult male in the present species is from 23 to 24 inches 

 in length. 



The wing, 9 to 9'25; the tail, from 9 to 10; tarsus, about 

 3'25 ; bill from gape, 1'4 to 1*55. 



The males have one sharp spur on each leg varying in length 

 from 075 to 1*0 according to the age of the bird. 



Entire plumage is black, with a rich blue gloss over head, 

 neck, breast, back, rump and shorter tail-coverts, and the fea- 

 thers of both the latter are conspicuously tipped with pure 

 white. 



The female is a rich olive brown. The chin and throat 

 white or whitish ; the feathers of the neck and sides of the head 

 generally with a greyish tinge towards the tips ; the body 

 and wings with a decidedly rufescent tinge ; all the feathers 

 of the lower surface and the coverts of the wings tipped 

 paler, in some specimens most conspicuously so, 

 the feathers of the lower surface also white or brownish white 

 shafted. The visible portion of the rump and all but the long- 

 est upper tail-coverts a paler and more fulvous olive brown ; 

 the central tail feathers, and generally also the longest of the 

 upper tail-coverts, deep ferruginous. The rest of the tail- 

 feathers black, sometimes margined or tinned with ferruginous, 



