﻿BIRDS OF THE GENERA SELENIDERA. 7 



longer than primaries; upper and under tail coverts, ample and long, tail short, legs 

 rather short, stout, toes rather long, claws but slightly curved, strong. 



Colors generally resembling those of N. cristata, but not having the black of the 

 neck and breast of that species. Crest in both sexes and downy plumage of the head 

 in the male black ; secondary quills with their outer webs yellowish white ; tertiaries 

 with narrow longitudinal stripes of bluish white on their outer and exposed webs. All 

 other parts of the plumage, above and below, (including the neck and breast,) bluish 

 black or slate color, with numerous small circular spots of bluish white, rather larger 

 on the neck. Bill bluish horn color, lighter at the tip; legs dark in dried skin. 

 Female similar to the male, but rather smaller ; naked skin of the head dark, (naked 

 in female only.) 



Total length, about 16 £ inches; wing 9, tail 5 inches. 



Hah. Cape Lopez, Western Africa ; discovered by Mr. P. B. Duchaillu. Spec, in 

 Mus. Acad., Philada. 



This interesting addition to the ornithological fauna of Western Africa, is strictly 

 of the same group of species as Niimida cristata, Pallas, Spic. Zool., pi. 2 ; but is readily 

 to be distinguished by its erect crest, which is quite peculiar, and strongly charac- 

 terizes this bird. It has not either the black neck and breast of the species mentioned. 

 Specimens of both sexes are very similar to each other, but the male appears to be 

 constantly distinguished in having the head covered as described above, which in the 

 female is naked, or with a few hair-like or downy feathers. The white spots on all 

 parts of the body are smaller than in N. cristata. and extend to the neck, breast and 

 tibiae, which in that species are black. 



This bird is one of the most important of the numerous ornithological discoveries 

 of Mr. P. B. Duchaillu, an enterprising and talented young traveller and naturalist, 

 who has been for several years in Equatorial Africa, under the auspices of gentlemen 

 of this Academy. According to Mr. Duchaillu, this bird was met with in small 

 flocks from fifty to one hundred miles in the interior from Cape Lopez, but was 

 unknown to the inhabitants on the sea coast. 



Genus PHASIDUS, Cassin. 

 Phasidits, Cassin, Proc. Acad., Philada., 1856, p. 322. 

 Allied to Numida, Linnaeus, and Agelasius, Temminck, but more resembling the 

 latter. General form rather light, but robust, and adapted to walking or running, 

 head naked, wing rather short, tertiaries longer than the primaries ; fifth and sixth 

 primaries longest, tail moderate, legs rather long ; tarsi strong with large hexagonal 

 or irregularly shaped scales obliquely inserted in front and smaller behind ; toes mode- 

 rate, united at base by a large membrane ; hind toe short ; claws sharp and rather 

 strong. Bill rather wide, curved and rounded at the point ; cere large ; aperture of 

 the nostril large. 



