664 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXI. 



When received it was covered with thick down of a dirty brownish grey 

 tint, the sides of the head being a darker and browner colour. Tail and 

 wing quills of a dark brown colour were sprouting, as well as wing coverts 

 of dark, and light brown. The scapulars were well grown, forming two 

 conspicuous patches of dark brown. On the sinciput was a rough patch of 

 dark feathers, and a few similar feathers were apparent on the sides of the 

 .breast. On the lower back was a very small patch of light and dark brown 

 feathers. The tarsus was well covered with down. The soft parts were 

 as follows : — iris, brown ; bill olive grey with a black tip, the base and gape 

 being plumbeous blue. Eyelids and bare shelves above the eyes plumbeous 

 blue ; feet, lead flesh ; claws, black. 



The bird was about the size of a small goose and rather noisy, giving 

 vent to a curious shrill squeak ; it was very voracious. 



The scapulars were the first feathers to attain their full growth, followed 

 by the other feathers more slowly until about the 19th April, when I again 

 described the bird, it was almost completely feathered. 



On that date the head was sparsely covered with pointed black feathers 

 which growing more thickly on the crown formed a conspicuous patch 

 terminating in a point on the sinciput ; from this patch a distinct line of 

 feathers ran down each side of the head to the ear coverts. The bristles 

 on the chin and pores were very prominent. The entire neck was covered 

 with dirty pepper-and-salt coloured down which extended in a darker tint 

 to the patch of feathers on the crown ; the chin and upper throat were 

 very sparsely feathered and down the line of the throat a few blackish 

 feathers tipped with white were mingled with the down. The scapulars 

 were large and prominent of a glossy black colour with glistening shafts 

 and lighter centres ; the mantle was similarly coloured but most of the 

 feathers, especially towards the sides, were tipped with dirty white, giving 

 the effect of a rough chevron. The lower back and rump were a mixture 

 of grey, dirty white, and smoky black. The quills of the Avings and tail 

 were black with a slight purplish gloss, and the greater wing coverts were 

 similar but brown. The remaining coverts were smoky black with light 

 shafts, marked in a few places with white. The under parts including the 

 thighs and underwing coverts were a mixture of smoky brown and white 

 with the exception of the feathers on the lower edge of the crop which were 

 smoky brown alone. The tarsi were feathered except posteriorly. Iris, clear 

 hazel ; sclerotic membrane reddish yellow. Nictitating membrane whitish. 

 Feet greenish white with black claws. 



The bird's plumage now remained the same until the beginning of July 

 when black lanceolate feathers began to struggle through the down on the 

 back of the neck, and by the middle of September that portion was thickly 

 clothed and the plumage complete. 



The bird was most noisy, uttering a squeaking note and also on occasion 



