further notes o?i the Regent Bird. 143


much the same as that of the adult female ; but it retained the

two distinctive points, (1) a <J horn " projecting forward from

the front corners of the crown patch over each eye, although

not so markedly as before the moult, and (2) the upper part of

the body being more speckled, and the light-buff marks on the

tips of some four of the inner secondaries of each wing being very

plainly to be seen. I think these latter were more conspicuous

than they were before the moult.


On examination after death, some of the "specks" on the

mantle were found to have yellow centres ; though possibly

there may not have been more yellow, or " yellowish," on the

upper parts than is usual at certain seasons on the adult female.

But the underside of the wings, especially towards the axillaries,

was suffused with yellow in a manner I have never noticed in a

female. There were no black marks on the flights, so I cannot

positively say that the bird was an immature male ; but its

behaviour, and altogether, make me reasonably satisfied that it

was one.


On p. 127 of vol. IV, there may be seen a sketch of the

upper parts of the head of the younger of the two nestlings,

presumably a female. The horns of the elder bird, at that time,

were not straight but curved like a Turkish crescent, as stated

on p. 126. It would seem, therefore, as if the curved horns, as

distinguished from the straight ones, may be taken as the

distinctive mark of the nestling male; but it must not be over-

looked that these curved horns afterwards became straight

(bottom of page 127). L,ater, the spots on the tips of the inner

secondaries may possibly be an indication of sex (p. 131). Then

there was (it had not been re-assumed) the black bar projecting

down behind each eye, referred to on p. 129. All these points

should be watched by those who may have opportunity.


This bird still retained the dark bill and eye ; and that

neither yellow patch nor black tip should have appeared on the

nights would seem to demonstrate that the male Regent cannot

come into full colour until he is at any rate some four years old.


N.B. — The bird proved, on dissection, to be a male. I

ought to have stated that there was no appearance of yellow on

head or nape, as on the females (IV. p. 59), a curious difference^

one would not have expected to find.



