40 PURPLE GRAKLE. 



during my peregrinations, and in one or two instances have seen it form 

 its nest in the fissures of rocks. 



QuiscALUS vEKsicoLon, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. vol. xxviii. p. 488 — Ch. 



Bonaparte, Synopsis of Birds of the United States, p. 54. ; and Americ. Ornith. 



vol. i. p. 42, PI. V. fig. 1. Female. 

 Gracula Baeita, Gmel. Syst. vol. i. p. 39G — Lath. Ind. Ornith. p. 191. 

 Purple Grakle, Lath. Synops. vol. ii. p. 462. 

 Boat-tailed Grakle, Lath. Synops. vol. ii. p. 460 Wilson, Americ. Ornith. 



vol. iii. p. 44, PI. xxi. fig. 4. Male. 



Adult Male. Plate VII. Fig. 1. 



Bill longish, straight, tapering, compressed from the base ; upper 

 mandible prolonged on the forehead, forming an acute angle there, a little 

 declinate at the tip, its dorsal outline slightly convex, as are the sides ; 

 under mandible nearly straight in its lower outline, convex on the sides, 

 acute at the tip ; edges of both acute, of the lower inflected ; the gap 

 line deflected at the base, reaching to beneath the eye. Nostrils basal, 

 oval, half closed by a membrane. Head large, rounded above. Neck of 

 moderate length, thick. Body rather robust. Feet of moderate length, 

 strong ; tarsus considerably longer than the middle toe, covered anteriorly 

 with longish scutella, shorter below, laterally with two longitudinal plates, 

 meeting behind at an acute angle ; lateral toes nearly equal, the outer 

 connected at the base by a membrane ; claws strong, arched, compressed, 

 acute. 



Plumage soft, silky, glossy, blended. Wings of ordinary length ; 

 second, third and fourth quills longest, first and fifth nearly equal and 

 little shorter. Tail longish, of twelve feathers, much rounded, concave 

 along the middle above, or what is termed boat-shaped. 



Bill, feet and claws black. Iris bright-yellow. Head, neck, and 

 upper part of the breast blackish, with vivid reflections of violet, steel- 

 blue, and green. General colour of the body black, with bright-green, 

 purple and bronze-coloured reflections above, dull beneath. Quills and 

 tail-feathers black, the latter with purple and green reflections ; seconda- 

 ries and wing-coverts tinged with brown. 



Length 13 inches, extent of wings 19 ; beak 1;^ along the ridge, 

 1| along the gap; tarsus If, middle toe 1^. 



