40 ARCTIC BLUE BIRD. 



maries broadly margined with light blue, the secondaries with greyish- 

 blue, the inner chiefly with dull white. The tail feathers are also 

 brown, gradually more blue toward the base, and all broadly margined 

 externally with that colour. The sides of the head, the fore part and 

 sides of the neck, and the anterior half of the breast, light greenish- 

 blue ; that colour gradually fading on the hind part of the breast ; the 

 abdomen and lower tail-coverts greyish-white. 



Length to end of tail 7^ inches ; bill along the ridge -^s, along the 

 edge of lower mandible || ; wing from flexure 4pj ; tail 2{| ; tarsus 

 y*!, hind toe j%, its claw i% ; middle toe ||, its claw ||. 



Adult Female. Plate CCCXCIII. Fig. 3. 



The Female diff'ers greatly. The parts which retain the same co- 

 lour are the rump, wings, and tail, of which, however, the blue edgings 

 are less pure and of less extent, and the outer primary and outer tail- 

 feathers are margined externally with white. The upper part of the 

 head, the hind neck, the back, scapulars, and wing-coverts are light 

 greyish-brown, margined with pale greenish-blue ; the cheeks and sides 

 of the neck are paler ; the fore part of the neck and the anterior por- 

 tion of the breast are light greyish-brown, on the breast tinged with 

 red ; the rest of the lower parts of an imdecided brownish-white tint ; 

 the lower wing-coverts pale greyish-brown, edged with white, the lower 

 tail-coverts with a medial dusky streak. 



Length to end of tail 6| inches ; bill along the ridge || ; wing 

 from flexure 4x^j ; tail 2j\ ; tarsus {^ ; hind toe i*^, its claw j*|, mid- 

 dle toe H, its claw ||. 



The above descriptions are taken from skins procured by Dr 

 TowNSEND on the Columbia River. That of the male is from a speci- 

 men shot in June 1835 ; and that of the female from one shot on the 

 26th of the same month and year. Of two other specimens in my pos- 

 session, a male agrees with that described, but has the blue of the upper 

 parts deeper, and of a tint approaching to that of the common species. 

 The female is also similar to that described, but has a dull white spot 

 before the eye, and the upper part of the throat brownish- white. 



There are some slight errors in Mr Swainson's description of this 

 bird in the Fauna^Boreali Americana, which, however, may be ex- 

 cused, as he had only a single skin. Instead of the bill being more 



