190 THE COMPLETE POULTRY BOOK. 



tainly one of the most beautifully-colored Bpecies of its family. The plumage is 

 dense and elastic, on the head and neck short and splendent ; the feathers of the 

 forehead stiffish; of the cheeks and throat short, linear, slightly rounded; of 

 the rest of the neck shortish and very soft ; on its lower anterior part large, firm 

 and glossy ; on the rest of the lower parts full and blended; on the upper parts 

 firmer. The wings are of moderate length and acute ; the primaries aje narrow 

 and tapering, the second quill longest, the first scarcely a quarter of an inch 

 shorter; the secondaries are a little incurvate, obliquely rounded, the inner 

 elongated, very broad, acuminate. The tail is short, much rounded, of sixteen 

 broad, acuminate feathers, and four medial, incumbent, recurvate reduplicate. 



" The bill is greenish-yellow, darker towards the end, with the unguis deep brown; 

 the lower mandible reddish-yellow, brown at the end. The iris is brown, the feet 

 are reddish-orange, the membranes pale, reddish-brown, the claws deep reddish- 

 brown. The forehead is blackish-green, the head and upper neck vivid deep green, 

 changing^ to deep violet. On the middle of the neck is a ring of white, not 

 quite complete behind. The lower neck and a small part of the breast are a 

 very deep chestnut, or purplish-brown. The anterior pai-t of the back is yel- 

 lowish-brown, tinged with gray ; the scapulars gray, very minutely barred with 

 brown ; the hind part of the back brownish-black, the rump deep green', as are 

 the four recurved feathers of the tail, the rest being brownish-gray, broadly 

 edged with white. The wing coverts are brownish-gray, as are the primary 

 quills and coverts The secondary coverts, excepting the inner, are white in the 

 middle, with a terminal band of velvet black. About ten of the secondary 

 quills have their outer webs brilliant deep green, changing to purplish-blue, with 

 a black bar at the end, succeeded by white. The outer edges of the inner 

 secondaries are deep purplish-brown, the rest gray, minutely undulated with 

 darker. The breast, sides, abdomen, and tibial feathers are grayish-white, very 

 minutely undulated with dark gray; the feathers under the tail are black, glossed 

 with blue ; the axiUars and lower wing coverts are white. Length, to end of tail, 

 24 inches; extent of wings, 35 ; wing, from flexure, 11; tail, 4K; bill, along 

 the ridge, 2 ; greatiest breadth, 1 ; tarsus, 1 5-6. 



''The female is considerably smaller, and very diff'erently colored The bill is 

 greenish-gray, darker towards the base ; the plumage of the upper parts dusky- 

 brown, the feathers edged with pale, reddish-brown; the throat whitish; the 

 lower parts yellowish-gray, faintly streaked and spotted with brown ; the spec- 

 ulum as in the male ; the middle tail feathers straight. Length to the end of 

 taU, 20 inches ; extent of wings, 32. 



''The females renew their plumage annually in autumn, as do the males; but 

 the latter undergo a singular change in summer, which is thus described by Mr. 

 Waterton : 



'"About the 24th of May the breast and back of the drake exhibit the first 

 appearance of a change of color. In a few days after this the curled feathers 

 above the tail drop out, and gray feathers begin to appear among the lovely 

 green plumage which surrounds the eyes. Every succeeding day now brings 

 marks of rapid change. 



" 'By the 23d of Jane scarcely one green feather is to be seen on the head and 

 neek of the bird. By the 6th of July every feather of the former brilliaat 



