YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIE. 451 
mandible with the dorsal line convex and declinate, the sides sloping 
and slightly convex, the edges sharp, with a slight notch close to the 
tip, which is rather sharp; lower mandible straight, the angle rather 
long and wide; the dorsal outline very slightly convex and ascending, 
the sides sloping outwards and slightly convex, the edges sharp and 
inclinate, the tip narrow. Nostrils basal, lateral, roundish, covered by 
bristly feathers, which are directed forwards. 
Head large, ovate ; eyes of moderate size ; neck rather short; body 
compact. Legs of moderate length. strong; tarsus with seven large 
seutella in front, and two long plates behind, meeting so as to form a 
sharp edge. Toes stout, with large scutella, and separated almost to the 
base; first very strong; lateral toes nearly equal, third considerably 
longer. Claws strong, arched, compressed, sharp, the third with the 
inner edge somewhat dilated. 
Plumage full, soft, blended; stiff bristly feathers, with disunited 
filaments over the nostrils, some of them extending nearly half the 
length of the bill ; feathers on the throat with the shaft downy and 
prolonged. Wings of moderate length, much rounded ; the first quill 
. very short, extremely narrow, and falciform ; the second two inches 
and four and a half twelfths longer, and a little longer than the ninth ; 
the third an inch and one twelfth longer than the second, and three 
twelfths shorter than the fourth, which is the longest. The tail is 
very long, much graduated, the lateral feathers being four inches and 
seven twelfths shorter than the middle. 
Bill pure yellow, as is a bare space under and behind the eye. 
Iris hazel. Feet black. The plumage of the head, neck, fore part of 
the breast and back, brownish-black, the feathers on the latter part 
being very long, those on the upper part of the head strongly glossed 
with green; the shafts of the throat-feathers greyish, and those of the 
feathers on the middle of the neck white. The feathers on the middle 
of the back are light grey, some of them whitish, and those behind 
tipped with black ; rump and tail-coverts brownish-black. The sca- 
pulars are white; the smaller wing-coverts splendent with bronzed 
green; primaries black, glossed with shining green, their inner webs 
white, excepting at the end, and for some way along the margin ; se- 
condaries bright blue, changing to green, their inner webs greenish- 
black. Tail splendent with bright green, changing to greenish-yellow, 
purplish-red, bluish-purple, and dark green at the end; the inner webs 
