242 Transactions. — Zoology. 



all very regular, but narrowed at the joints ; on tlie inner toe fifteen, and on 

 the outer toe twenty-one. On the hind toe there are five scales. The 

 claws are strong, thick, not much arched, rather sharp on the edges, but 

 with blunted points, especially on the hind toe. The palate is deeply 

 grooved. 



Head and upper part of neck very dark blue, changing according to 

 the light into brownish-black on the crown and nape, brighter on the 

 cheeks and sides, and passing into dark purplish blue on the lower part of 

 the neck ; the whole of the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts rich olive- 

 green, varied more or less, and particularly on the shoulders, with dull 

 verditer green, the feathers shading off into that colour at the tips, the 

 general olive hue, however, predominating towards the sides of the body ; 

 foreneck, breast, sides of the body, and inner portion of flanks beautiful 

 purplish-blue ; the lengthened pectoral plumes which overlap the sides and 

 the outer portion of flanks vivid purplish-blue, mixed and varied, especially 

 on the former, with verditer green ; abdomen, thighs, and vent dull indigo 

 or bluish-black, more or less mixed with brown ; under tail-coverts pure 

 white. The general upper surface of the wings is a rich mixture of blue 

 and verditer green, very difficult to express exactly in words, the combina- 

 tion having something of the effect, in certain lights, of lapis lazuli. 



On a close examination of the larger coverts it is found that they are 

 marked transversely with numerous delicate rays of a darker purplish blue, 

 adding much to the beauty of the plumage. On the lesser coverts this 

 rayed character although present is less conspicuous, and the olive hue 

 is more pronounced, while on the scapulars it becomes predominant, 

 resembling the plumage of the back. The outer edges of the wings and 

 the tertial plumes very rich purplish-blue or obscurely rayed with green. 

 The outer primaries are blue on their outer webs, but this rapidly changes 

 to dull sea-green, which colour prevails on both webs of the secondaries, 

 only washed with a brighter tint on the outer vane. This colour deepens 

 again into olive on the inner secondaries and their coverts, thus harmoniz- 

 ing with the plumage of the back. The under surface of the quills is 

 uniform blackish-brown, and the shafts are white towards the base ; the 

 axillary plumes and the larger inner coverts are of the same colour tipped 

 on their outer aspect with blue, and the smaller coverts, which are of very 

 soft texture, are entirely blue. The tail-feathers are dark olive mixed with 

 verditer green on the upper surface and changing to dull olive-brown, with 

 lighter shafts, on their under surface. 



The bill has lost its original colour through being dried. On the frontal 

 plate and along the basal edges of both mandibles it appears to have been 

 dark red, fading outwards. The culmen still has traces of its original pinky 



