IRENINJ3. 105 



I was at one time inclined to class it as an aberrant form of 

 Ampelida, not far from Cochoa ; and Bonaparte, in his Conspec- 

 tus, places Irena together with Cochoa in the Dicrurince, 

 but next to the Orioles. Its much shorter legs and feet, and 

 the less depressed bill, are, however, more those of the present 

 family. 



Gen. Irena, Horsf. 

 Char. — Those of the sub-family of which it is the sole genus. 



469. Irena puella, Latham. 



Coracias, apud Latham — Jerdon, Cat. 100 — Blyth, Cat. 

 1295— Horsf., Cat. 420—1. Indica, A. Hay. 



The Fairy Blue-bird. 



Descr. — Male, the whole upper parts with the lower tail-coverts, 

 brilliant glistening cobalt-blue ; wings; tail, and lower plumage, 

 deep velvet black. 



The female is of a dull, slightly mottled, Antwerp-blue throughout. 



Bill and legs black ; irides ruby-red. Length 10 inches; wing 

 h\ ; tail 4 ; tarsus ^ ; bill at front 



This most lovely plumaged bird is only found in our province in 

 the dense and lofty forests of Malabar, from Travancore upwards to 

 about N. L. 15°. It is also found in Assam, Arrakan, and Burmah ; 

 but has not been procured in any of the sub-Himalayan forests. It 

 ascends mountain ranges up to 4,000 feet and upwards, and lives 

 in small parties of five, six, or more, frequenting the loftiest trees 

 near their summit, and wandering from tree to tree. It has a 

 fine loud mellow warble, which it is constantly repeating, both when 

 feeding and 'as it flies from one tree to another. It feeds chiefly 

 on fruits of various kinds, but I dare say may take caterpillars 

 occasionally. Mr. Ward obtained what he was informed was the 

 nest and eggs ; the nest was large, made of roots and fibres and 

 lined with moss ; and the eggs, two in number, were pale greenish, 

 much spotted with dusky. 



A race from Malayana differs in having the under tail-coverts 

 reaching to the end of the tail, whilst, in the Indian bird, they are 



o 



