io7



THE


Hvicultural fllbagasme,


BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE


AVICULTURAL SOCI ETY.



New Series —VOL. VI. — No. 4. —All rights reserved. FEBRUARY, 1908.


THE SUPERB TANAGER.


Calliste fastuosa.


By Arthur G. Butrer, Ph.D., F.L.S., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.


Although several illustrations of this lovely, though well-

known Tanager have been published, in no case have they given

any demonstration of the colour differences which certainly exist

between the sexes. For that reason I have thought it well worth

while to get Mr. Goodchild to make careful drawings of male

and female in order that there may be no excuse henceforward

for anybody to overlook them. (Lower fig. male; upper fig.

female).


In the Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum, vol. XI.,

Dr. Sclater says of the female : “ similar to the male, but rather

less brilliant in colour” ; but he does not point out wherein she

is less brilliant, and as he describes the species as having the

head and neck bluish green, it seems very evident that he had

either a young male or a female in his hand, when penning

the description.


The male Superb Tanager has the head and neck glittering

yellowish-emerald-green ; forehead and upper back velvet-black ;

lower back and rump, and outer borders of internal secondaries,

deep orange-cadmium ; lesser wing-coverts shining green, almost

like the head; outer coverts purple; wings and tail black;

primaries, inner secondaries and tail-feathers edged with purple ;

under surface of body mostly blue ; chin black, followed by a

band of green joining that on sides of head ; a broad black

crescentic belt across the throat almost joining the black of the

back ; breast and front of abdomen dull silvery blue, deepening



