Atticora cyanoleuoa, var. montana, Baird, Review Amer. B. p. 310 (1865) ; Lawr. 

 Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. p. 96 (1868); v. Frantzius, J. f. O. 1869, p. 291; Boucard, 

 P. Z. S. 1878, p. 67. 



A. subtus alba : supra indigotica. 



Hab. in regione Neotropica fere tota. 



Adult. General colour above glossy blue, the feathers of the hind neck slightly mottled, with white bases 

 to the feathers ; scapulars, lesser and median wing-coverts like the back ; bastard- wing, primary- 

 coverts, and quills black, externally glossed with dull blue ; tail-feathers blackish ; lores, feathers 

 below the eye, and ear-coverts black ; cheeks and under surface of body pure white, the sides of 

 the neck glossy blue, descending in a half-crescent on the sides of the chest ; sides of body and 

 flanks brown, with a patch of silky white feathers on the sides of the lower back ; thighs blackish 

 brown ; under tail-coverts black glossed with blue ; axillaries and under wing-coverts smoky 

 brown, the coverts near the edge of the wing edged with white : " bill black j legs dark brown ; 

 iris dark " (Neuwied). Total length 4"7 inches, culmen O2o, wing 4-05, tail 2'2, tarsus 0'45. 



The sexes are alike in colour. 



Young. Brown, with pale edges to the feathers, particularly those of the lower back, rump, and upper 

 tail-coverts; quills and tail brown, with white fringes to the ends of the inner secondaries ; under 

 surface of body dull white, with a little brown on the fore neck (sometimes forming a collar) and 

 on the flanks j the chin tinged with salmon-colour ; the under tail-coverts white, washed with 

 smoky brown towards the ends. 



After the first moult the white margins to the inner secondaries disappear, the blue plumage is 

 donned, though never quite so brilliant as in the old birds, and the throat and fore neck are 

 distinctly salmon-coloured. This last character seems to be a sign of immaturity, but only occurs 

 after the first moult. 



Professor Baird separated the species from Costa Rica and the Andean subregion as A. montana, on 

 account of its longer bill, but we have not found that the distinctive characters amount to 

 much. The race which he separates as A. patagonica, and which Burmeister called A. hemipyga, 

 is really recognizable and may prove to be a distinct species. It differs in having the vent and 

 the basal under tail-coverts white. All the Chilian specimens in the British Museum show this 

 character, as do also examples from Cosquin, in the province of Cordova. We should feel inclined 

 to recognize A. patagonica as a race, but for the fact that specimens from Cosuipata in Peru 

 appear to be intermediate, and we must leave the subject to future inquirers to determine. 



The following is a list of some measurements of specimens from various portions of the bird's 

 range : — 



Total length, 

 in. 



a. Ad. Costa Rica (Arce) 4-4 



i- Ad. „ „ 4-0 



c. Ad. Irazu district, C. R. (Rogers) 



d. Imm. Panama (McLeannan) 4'3 



e. Imm. „ „ 4-4 



Culmen. 



Wing. 



Tail. 



Tarsus 



in. 



in. 



in. 



in. 



03 



3-8 



21 



0-45 



0-3 



3-7 



2-0 



0-45 



0-3 



3-7 



imp. 



0-45 





3-8 



1-8 



0-45 



03 



3-7 



2-0 



0-45 



